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D.C. police arrest suspect after swastika graffiti found at Union Station

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.

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