World War II Memorial in Washington vandalized with soap and graffiti

Vandals struck the World War II Memorial in Washington on Thursday, dumping bubble soap into a fountain and defacing the structure with colored paint and red graffiti.

The attack targeted a fountain honoring the Atlantic Theater, where the Allies defeated Nazi Germany during World War II. Vandals poured bubble soap into the water, creating frothy bubbles that rose several feet in height. Colored paint, including green and pink, was spread across the stone structure of the memorial.

Red graffiti reading "Clean Hands Dirty $" was scrawled on the site, though the connection between the message and the memorial remained unclear. The water in one of the fountain structures became covered with foam, which accumulated to form a layer several meters high. Videos shared on social media showed bubbles floating through the air before police secured the area.

The memorial, located near the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool, was closed to the public and press following discovery of the vandalism. An Interior Department spokesman condemned the incident, calling it "disgusting vandalism from deranged losers" and describing it as "pathetic to deface a memorial to our WWII heroes."

No arrests or suspect information had been reported as of Thursday evening.