The incident happened on Tuesday night when the unnamed male suspect splashed the base of the historic monument with red paint and wrote an obscene message on the side of the structure. “The United States Park Police have detained an adult male for vandalizing the base of the Washington Monument with paint,” the United States Park Police said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “The area at the base of the monument will be temporarily closed.” It is currently unclear what the motive behind the vandalism was or if the message written at the base of the monument was aimed at anyone in particular. The Washington Monument is seen at sunset, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin “National Park Service rangers will work on the restoration process,” the United States Park Service said. Authorities did not say how long the restoration process will take or how long the tourist attraction is expected to remain closed to the public. The investigation is ongoing and authorities are not releasing any further information at this time. The Washington Monument, completed in 1884, is 555 feet tall and was once the tallest building in the world from 1884 to 1889 before being surpassed in height by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The historic obelisk is named after the first president of the United States and attracts over 600,000 visitors annually. ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.
