D.C. police arrest suspect after swastika graffiti found at Union Station
Dozens of swastikas and anti-Obama slogans, most of them covered up by workers, were drawn on pillars around the exterior of Union Station in Washington on Friday. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Washington, D.C., police have arrested a suspect allegedly connected to drawings of swastikas that appeared etched around the entrance to Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Friday morning.
The latest: Police arrested and charged Geraldo Pando, 34, with "display of certain emblems and defacing private/public property."
- Police said Pando allegedly spray-painted swastikas around 12:45 a.m. Friday morning. Pando later allegedly vandalized three other buildings.
Driving the news: "An investigation is underway with Amtrak Police and the Metropolitan Police Department after swastikas were reported on the exterior of Washington Union Station on Friday," Amtrak spokesperson Kimberly Woods said in a statement to Axios.
- "Amtrak strongly condemns this act of hatred and will work with our landlord, USRC and their lessor to remove these symbols as quickly as possible"
The big picture: The vandalism came one day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when President Biden cautioned against ignoring history and warned against a "resurgence of antisemitism."
What they're saying: "The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington strongly condemns the antisemitic vandalism found today right here in our nation’s capital at Union Station," the group wrote in a statement.
- "To find such a symbol of hate at the entrance to Union Station is unacceptable and is not just an affront to Jews, but to all Americans. Swastikas are a chilling symbol of Nazi hatred and have no place in our society."
- "Sickening. Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day," Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) wrote on Twitter. "My staff just sent me this video of Union Station defaced with swastikas. Anti-Semitism is real and we cannot tolerate it. I am contacting the local authorities."
Go deeper: Biden cautions against "resurgence of antisemitism" on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details of the arrest.