A Virginia man was sentenced to 10 days in prison for spray-painting pro-Hamas graffiti on the Christopher Columbus monument in front of Union Station during anti-Israel protests last summer.
Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, pleaded guilty Jan. 23 to a misdemeanor count of destruction of government property.
He was sentenced Friday to 10 days in federal prison, six months of supervision afterward and 80 hours of community service. He also was ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.
“Zaid Mahdawi defaced a national monument with hate-filled graffiti and now faces the consequences. Vandalism in the name of extremism won’t be tolerated. If you come to D.C. to destroy, you’ll pay. Literally. Make D.C. Safe AND Beautiful,” interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin posted Friday on X.
Mr. Mahdawi and others gathered at Columbus Circle on July 24 to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was speaking at the U.S. Capitol that day. Mr. Mahdawi lowered a flag from one of the poles in the circle, which was then taken by another protester, and then climbed the monument and spray-painted “HAMAS IS COMIN” in red and an inverted red triangle, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The Hamas terrorist group killed 1,200 people in a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking Israel to start an ongoing war against the militant group.
The National Park Service estimated that the cost for cleaning and repairing the protesters’ damage at $11,282.23.
Another protester — Isabella Giordano, 21 — was not sentenced to jail but was given six months probation for spray-painting the monument and two flagpoles.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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