The man accused of ramming a U-Haul truck into barriers near the White House earlier this week isn’t a U.S. citizen, authorities said Wednesday.
Sai Varshith Kandula, a 19-year-old from suburban St. Louis, wore an orange jail-issued jumpsuit in his brief courtroom appearance — his first since the Monday incident — when prosecutors requested pre-trial detention.
A government prosecutor told the court that Kandula is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
But later on Wednesday, a Department of Justice official clarified the open-court remarks and said Kandula does hold a green card for lawful, permanent U.S. residency.
The suspect’s national origin wasn’t mentioned in court.
A college student who was on the same high school track team with Kandula told NBC News on Tuesday that they’re both members of the sizable Indian American community in Chesterfield, Missouri.