A delivery truck caused a large-scale police operation on Monday evening in Lafayette Square near the White House. The driver of the truck apparently steered his vehicle twice against a security barrier.
“There were no injuries to Secret Service or White House personnel and the cause and sequence of events of the accident are still under investigation,” Anthony Guglielmi, the US intelligence chief’s communications chief, tweeted. The driver was arrested. Nearby hotel evacuated After the first impact, the driver drove against the barriers a second time, the WUSA television station reported, citing an eyewitness report. Some streets and pedestrian walkways have been closed. The nearby Hay Adams Hotel had been evacuated, Fox 5 reported. Videos showing the vehicle being searched also showed a swastika flag lying on the ground, which had been in the truck (see tweet above) . Investigators are currently assuming that it was a deliberate ramming of the barrier.