A Nazi flag has been seized by police after a truck crashed into security barriers near the White House.
The driver was arrested by police – with a law enforcement official telling NBC News that he made threatening statements about the White House at the scene.
The official said: “I don’t think there’s any place for a Nazi flag or the statements that he made.”
A preliminary investigation revealed the driver “may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square” in Washington DC, said Anthony Guglielmia, a spokesperson for the US Secret Service.
There were no injuries to any Secret Service or White House personnel, he added.
A video posted on social media showed a U-Haul truck slamming into the barriers from a short distance.
The person who posted the footage said it was the second time the vehicle had hit the barriers.
Following the crash, a remote-controlled robot opened the truck’s rear doors, which revealed a trolley but no other obvious equipment.
Mr Guglielmia tweeted: “Charges will be filed by the United States Park Police with investigative support from the #SecretService.”
The nearby Hay Adams hotel was evacuated at the request of the Secret Service.
