A Virginia man who defaced a federal monument in Washington, DC, with a pro-Hamas message during a protest outside Union Station is heading to prison for a short stay, according to federal officials.
Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, aged 26 from Richmond, was ordered on Friday, April 4, to serve 10 days in federal prison along with six months under supervised release following his admission of guilt regarding the charge of destroying government property, as stated by the US Attorney’s Office for DC.
The event took place on July 24, 2024, at Columbus Circle during a protest rally.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., Mahdawi ascended the Columbus statue and was recorded on video spray-painting the message "HAMAS IS COMING" in red letters, accompanied by an upside-down triangular sign.
Authorities stated that Mahdawi had removed an American flag during the protest at an earlier time, which was subsequently taken by someone else. The demonstrators engaged in burning items, caused damage to federal property, and obstructed law enforcement arrests.
Mahdawi’s graffiti was recorded by US Park Police surveillance cameras and extensively circulated on social media. The identical incident was also documented in publicly available videos and photographs that were subsequently uploaded to different online platforms.
"The flags removed from the flagpoles and the statues and structures in Columbus Circle are all owned by the federal government," the prosecutors stated.
Judge James E. Boasberg issued the ruling, mandating that Mahdawi must finish 80 hours of community service and pay $1,500 as reimbursement for the approximately $11,282.23 incurred in cleanup expenses.
Interested in getting real-time updates on local events in the DMV area, or do you want to share information? Become a member of the DMV All Incidents Facebook group. .
Related stories:
- TikTok Ban in the U.S. Postponed, Trump Asserts That Tariffs Aid Talks Even as Markets Plunge
- Kenyan Fraudster Entered U.S. Illegally at Dulles Airport Using Her Sister's Identification: CBP
- NTSB Reports Pilot Messaged About Fog Prior to Takeoff, Crash Occurs in Virginia
Post a Comment