Man arrested for defacing Washington Monument with red paint

A man was arrested Tuesday night for dousing the Washington Monument in red paint and scrawling an anti-government message on the landmark.

According to photos from the crime scene, the vandal wrote the words “Have u been f—ked by this” with an upward-pointing arrow and “gov say tough sh-t” in red letters at the base of the memorial.

He also splattered red paint on the base, photos taken by a Fox5 Washington DC reporter show.

The U.S. Parks Police said in a statement Tuesday night they have taken an adult man into custody on charges of vandalism.

The area around the base of the monument is temporarily closed.

National Park Service conservators will work to remove the red paint to restore the monument to its original condition, park police said.