A Virginia man was arrested Friday on a charge that he spray-painted graffiti on a monument in the nation’s capital during protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in July.

Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, was charged in a complaint with one count of destruction of federal property. He was among thousands of protesters who gathered in Washington, D.C., on July 24 to condemn Netanyahu’s visit.

Some demonstrators who gathered outside Union Station that day removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. Others burned flags and sprayed graffiti on structures in Columbus Circle, in front of Union Station.

Videos posted on social media showed Mahdawi climbing the statue of Christopher Columbus in the middle of Columbus Circle and using red spray paint to write “HAMAS IS COMIN” on the monument, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. He also spray-painted an inverted red triangle above the slogan, the affidavit says.

The FBI later received a tip from a witness who knew Mahdawi from a Richmond gym and recognized his image in a police bulletin.

A group of protesters had a permit to demonstrate in front of Union Station, but the U.S. Park Police said it revoked the permit after it couldn’t reach protest organizers that afternoon. The National Park Service estimated that it cost more than $11,000 to clean up and fix damage at the site.

“Politically motivated destruction or defacing of federal property is not protected speech, it is a crime,” Matthew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement.

Mahdawi was expected to make his initial court appearance in Virginia on Friday.

A Maryland woman was arrested last month on a related charge. Isabella Giordano, 20, of Towson, is accused of using red spray paint to write “Gaza” on a fountain in front of Union Station and spray-painting the base of two of the flagpoles in Columbus Circle.

Two dairy workers in California tested positive for H5 bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health announced.

The CDC said in a release that the two cases were unrelated – with the farmers working at different dairy farms in California’s Central Valley.

“CDC continues to collaborate closely with California and other state public health officials to support state-run efforts to control the spread of H5N1 from infected animals to humans,” the agency said.

Both individuals experienced mild symptoms, officials said, including conjunctivitis. Neither person reported respiratory symptoms or required hospitalization.

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Health officials said that the risks remain low for the public but has caused “rare, sporadic infections” among people who work with infected animals.

“The virus is widespread in wild birds and has caused ongoing outbreaks among poultry in the United States since 2022,” the CDC said.

Test tubes are seen labelled “Bird Flu” words in this illustration taken, June 10, 2024. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

In 2024, there have been 16 human cases in the U.S. of bird flu, including the two most recent infections in California.

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Bird Flu Infection in 2024:

• Texas – 1
• Michigan – 2
• Colorado – 10
• Missouri – 1
• California – 2

Six of the 16 reported human cases have been linked to exposure to sick or infected dairy cows, the agency said. Nine cases had exposure to infected poultry.

Dairy cattle feed at a farm on March 31, 2017, near Vado, N.M. Another Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

CDC Recommendations:

The government agency recommended that individuals should avoid contact with wild birds and sick or dead animals and not preparing or eating unpasteurized (raw) milk or raw cheese. 

The CDC also recommended that if you work with dairy cows or other animals that could be infected with H5N1 bird flu, to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when in contact with (or around) dairy cows, raw milk, other animals, or surfaces and other items that might be contaminated with virus.

Cows graze in an oil production field in Midland, Texas, on February 13, 2019. Dairy cows infected with bird flu have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover in five U.S. states. (Reuters/Nick Oxford/ File Photo)

The CDC recommends that if you get sick after close contact with infected animals, contact your local health department and a health care provider for testing.

Symptoms of the bird flu include eye redness (conjunctivitis), mild flu-like upper respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.