'HAMAS IS COMIN' | Feds arrest Virginia man for vandalizing Columbus Circle statue during protests of Netanyahu visit

WASHINGTON — The FBI arrested a Henrico County man Friday for allegedly defacing the monument at Columbus Circle during protests surrounding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in July.

Zaid Mohammad Madhawi, 26, was arrested on a warrant on one count of misdemeanor destruction of government property. He’s accused of climbing the monument outside Union Station and spray painting the words “HAMAS IS COMIN” in red paint along with an inverted triangle, which has been used by pro-Palestinian protesters since the war in Gaza began last year.

Photos of Mahdawi allegedly defacing the statute included in charging documents Friday match an image released by police in July of one of six suspects being sought in connection to vandalism that day. More than 20 people were arrested during the protests on July 24, although many of those charges were later dropped. In September, 20-year-old Isabella Giordano, of Towson, Maryland, was charged with vandalizing several pieces of federal property during the protests. According to federal court records she was scheduled to be arraigned on the same misdemeanor charge as Madhawi on Oct. 10.

According to charging documents, Mahdawi was identified thanks to a tip from a witness who recognized him as a regular at their gym, as well as a Richmond police officer who was familiar with him. Mahdawi has previously organized pro-Palestine protests in the Richmond area in the past, according to Richmond CBS affiliate WTVR. Virginia court records show Mahdawi was arrested during a pro-Palestine protest in Richmond in April on misdemeanor charges of obstructing police and unlawful assembly. Local prosecutors dropped those charges in July.

Mahdawi’s case was assigned to D.C. District Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui for an initial hearing. Conviction of misdemeanor destruction of government property carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison.