WASHINGTON (AP) — A Virginia man was arrested Friday on charges of spray-painting graffiti on a monument in the nation’s capital during protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in July.
Zaid Mohamed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, was charged with one count of federal destruction of property. He was among the thousands of demonstrators who gathered in Washington, D.C., on July 24 to denounce Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit.
Some demonstrators who gathered outside Union Station that day removed American flags and raised Palestinian flags in their place. Some people burned flags and spray-painted graffiti on buildings at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station.
According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, videos posted on social media show Mahdawi climbing the Christopher Columbus statue in the middle of Columbus Circle and spray-painting a monument saying “Hamas is here.” He was seen writing. He also spray-painted an upside-down red triangle over the slogan, according to the affidavit.
The FBI later received a tip from a witness who had known Mahdawi at a gym in Richmond and noticed his image in the police bulletin.
A group of protesters had a permit to demonstrate in front of Union Station, but U.S. Park Police announced later that afternoon that the permit had been revoked because they could not reach protest organizers. The National Park Service estimated it would cost more than $11,000 to clean up the site and repair the damage.
“Politically motivated destruction or defacement of federal property is not protected speech, it is a crime,” Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement.
Mahdawi is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Virginia on Friday.
A Maryland woman was arrested on related charges last month. Isabella Giordano, 20, of Towson, is accused of spray-painting the word “Gaza” in red on a fountain in front of Union Station and spray-painting the base of two flagpoles at Columbus Circle.
