Two More DC Landmarks Vandalized With Green Paint; One Suspect Arrested

Three days after green paint was found splattered on the Lincoln Memorial, authorities investigated two similar incidents of vandalism -- green paint splashed inside the Washington National Cathedral and symbols painted in green on another statue on the National Mall.

And at least one suspect has been arrested in connection to the National Cathedral vandalism, according to Assistant Chief Peter Newsham.

He said a woman found near the cathedral would likely face charges of destruction of property.

It is not clear if she was involved in the other acts of vandalism.

The first incident occurred Monday at the Joseph Henry Statue across from the Smithsonian Castle, WUSA-TV reports.

U.S. Park Police said green paint was found on the statue of Joseph Henry outside the headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall. Henry was the Smithsonian's first secretary.

Here are photos of the Joseph Henry Statue:

wusa9.com

wusa9.com

Officials at the cathedral discovered green paint inside two chapels later Monday afternoon. It was still wet, which led them to believe the vandalism had just occurred.

The paint was splashed onto an organ and on the floor inside the cathedral's historic Bethlehem Chapel on the basement level, officials said. It was also found inside Children's Chapel in the nave of the cathedral.

Here are some photos of the vandalism in the National Cathedral:

@danmericaCNN.

@danmericaCNN.

The National Cathedral has been closed to the public until further notice.

Meanwhile, crews worked to remove the paint from the Lincoln Memorial, which was reopened to visitors on Friday, the same day the vandalism was discovered. The National Park Service said progressively stronger substances would be used until all the paint is gone, which could take several days. The memorial was scheduled to be power washed Tuesday.

U.S. Park Police close off the Lincoln Memorial to visitors after someone splattered green paint on the statue and the floor area, in Washington, Friday, July 26, 2013. Police say the apparent vandalism was discovered early Friday morning. No words, letters or symbols were visible in the paint. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sgt. Paul Brooks, a U.S. Park Police spokesman, said it was too early to tell whether the same person was responsible for all three acts of vandalism. He noted that while the paint appeared to be splattered indiscriminately on the memorial, the statue appeared to have been deliberately painted.

The symbols on the statue were not immediately decipherable. That vandalism was reported to police on Friday, Brooks said.

D.C. police were investigating the vandalism at the cathedral and collaborating with park police. D.C. police said paint from the cathedral would likely be sent to the FBI for testing.

"Bethlehem Chapel, where the vandalism occurred in the Cathedral's lower level, is the oldest portion of the Cathedral, completed in 1912,” the Washington National Cathedral spokesperson said in a statement.

“It was the site of burial rites for President Woodrow Wilson in 1924 and was the original location of his tomb for more than three decades before he was permanently interred in a memorial bay bearing his name on the Cathedral's main level,” the statement adds.

Washington National Cathedral has hosted inaugural prayer services and the state funerals for presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

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The AP contributed to this story. This post has been updated.

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