The man accused of crashing a van truck into barriers near the White House in an effort to overthrow the government was planning to deliver a speech announcing the end of American democracy, prosecutors said.
Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, was being held without bond pending a court hearing on Tuesday. He was arrested after the May 22 crash and charged with depredation of United States property.
Investigators and prosecutors, however, suggested the more important issue was his alleged intent to seize power and harm the president if necessary.
A memo from federal prosecutors filed Friday in support of keeping Kandula behind bars without conditions ahead of a possible trial said he was keeping a diary containing a coup speech he planned to deliver if he had seized power after the crash.
The memo quotes a passage from the diary, which the defendant describes as a “green book”, which describes the post-democratic United States. He addresses “my fellow Americans” by prescribing historic change.
“As I know the [unknown] let this country be a democratic nation, and it will no longer be,” the passage read, according to the memo. “There will be consequences if civil unrest occurs. To be clear Any opposition will be punished with the death penalty to be clear: (kill the president) As you have seen, we will declare martial until the situation is resolved [unknown]. We will rebuild this world.”
The defendant, who allegedly grabbed a Nazi flag from the cargo area of the rented U-Haul just before being apprehended, ended the passage with the words “Hail Sieg”, echoing but misspelling the Nazi motto which stands for “hail victory”.
No one was injured in the crash as of 9:35 p.m. The Ford commercial truck hit bollards at the Lafayette Square entrance, north of the White House grounds, prosecutors said. The motorist backed up and hit them again, and the truck was apparently disabled at the time, they said.
Kandula told Secret Service agents he planned to seize power and would kill President Joe Biden if necessary. He praised Adolf Hitler as a “strong leader”, according to the memo.
The memo included photos of the bollards the vehicle hit. They protect a path that leads directly to the White House, which can be seen in the distance.
Prosecutors argue that Kandula is a danger to the community and a flight risk because he has visited India several times. They said he is a lawful permanent resident of the United States subject to deportation if convicted.
The government argued that the attack on federal land was planned, including traveling from the St. Louis area to Washington and renting the van truck.
Kandula’s defense had yet to file a response. It was unclear if he had an attorney. The federal public defender’s office in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kandula claimed success after the crash, even while he was deprived of liberty, according to the memo. He told Secret Service agents he believed his writings would reach a wider audience, he added.
“In any case,” according to prosecutors, “whether I entered the White House or not, my message was received.”
Kandula was scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington at 3 p.m. Tuesday for a hearing on whether he should remain behind bars pending a possible trial.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com