A man was arrested by the US Park Police on Tuesday evening in connection with vandalizing the base of the Washington Monument. According to the authorities, paint was used to vandalize the monument and an investigation has been launched into the incident since then.

“The United States Park Police has an adult male in custody for vandalizing the base of the Washington Monument with paint,” a statement by the US Park Police read.

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The police have also revealed that access to the base of the Washington Monument will be closed temporarily as the National Park Service conservators work on restoring the monument. However, the identity of the man behind the incident was not released by the police.

“At first light, our Monument Preservation crew got to work on the Washington Monument, after it was defaced with red paint last night. The top layer of paint is coming off and the pigment that seeped into the stone will be treated with many rounds of cleaning product application,” the National Mall NPS, who are the caretakers of the landmark, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

The construction of the Washington Monument was completed in 1884 and it was built to pay tribute to George Washington, the first President of the United States and the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The monument is 550 feet tall and obelisk-shaped.

Red paint was used by the perpetrator to write an impious message on the west side of the base of the Washington Monument. “Have you been f**** by this,” the alleged message read, with an arrowing pointing upwards.

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The location is a popular tourist attraction and is visited by thousands of people every month. It is situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol Building and is also near the White House.

Similar to the Washington Monument, other landmarks in the area have also been vandalized in the past. The Washington National Cathedral, the Lincoln Memorial and the Joseph Henry statue were vandalized in 2013. The DC police arrested one person in connection with the incident at that time.

However, this is the first time the Washington Monument has been vandalized.