&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Five arrested after Trump threatens 10-year jail term over alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism")
At least five people have been arrested, and five others cited in connection with the alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, an administration official said on Monday.
The arrests came after US President Donald Trump alleged on Saturday, without providing evidence, that vandals had damaged the Reflecting Pool by cutting a 250-foot-long "gash" into its surface.
On Monday, Trump warned of prison sentences for anyone attempting to damage the landmark, which has become one of his signature renovation projects in Washington.
The president had ordered contractors to drain the 610 metre Reflecting Pool and repaint it "American flag blue." However, soon after the project was completed, the coating began peeling, and algae turned the water green. Trump blamed the problems on vandals but did not provide evidence for the claim.
"Of the MANY Statues and Fountains that we rebuilt, renovated, cleaned, and fixed, the only one that was Vandalized was the Reflecting Pool, which is being taken care of, ASAP!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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Reflecting Pool project draws criticism
Trump also warned that strict penalties would apply to anyone found damaging public monuments and landmarks.
"Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things, which will be fully enforced!" he added.
The Reflecting Pool has faced a series of issues since Trump ordered its renovation, including algae blooms, peeling paint and green-tinted water. Critics have pointed to the problems as evidence of what they describe as a troubled project.
A former real estate developer, Trump has accused unspecified "sick, deranged" people of vandalising the pool.
The Reflecting Pool overhaul is part of a broader effort by Trump to reshape Washington. The most prominent proposal in that campaign is his plan to build a large ballroom at the White House.
The beautification projects have faced criticism over their cost, the process used to award contracts and what opponents describe as unnecessary extravagance at a time when many Americans are struggling with inflation worsened by the war Trump launched with Israel against Iran.
