Virginia man charged with defacing monument during Netanyahu protests in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Virginia man was arrested Friday on a charge that he spray-painted graffiti on a monument in the nation’s capital during protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in July.

Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Va., was charged in a complaint with one count of destruction of federal property. He was among thousands of protesters who gathered in Washington, D.C., on July 24 to condemn Netanyahu’s visit.

Some demonstrators who gathered outside Union Station that day removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. Others burned flags and sprayed graffiti on structures in Columbus Circle, in front of Union Station.

Videos posted on social media showed Mahdawi climbing the statue of Christopher Columbus in the middle of Columbus Circle and using red spray paint to write “HAMAS IS COMIN” on the monument, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. He also spray-painted an inverted red triangle above the slogan, the affidavit says.

The FBI later received a tip from a witness who knew Mahdawi from a Richmond gym and recognized his image in a police bulletin.

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A group of protesters had a permit to demonstrate in front of Union Station, but the U.S. Park Police said it revoked the permit after it couldn’t reach protest organizers that afternoon. The National Park Service estimated that it cost more than $11,000 to clean up and fix damage at the site.

“Politically motivated destruction or defacing of federal property is not protected speech, it is a crime,” Matthew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement.

Mahdawi was expected to make his initial court appearance in Virginia on Friday.

A Maryland woman was arrested last month on a related charge. Isabella Giordano, 20, of Towson, is accused of using red spray paint to write “Gaza” on a fountain in front of Union Station and spray-painting the base of two of the flagpoles in Columbus Circle.