At least six people have been arrested in connection with damage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, one of the most recognisable features of the National Mall in Washington. The arrests come as the U.S. Park Police released new security footage that appears to support President Trump's claim that the landmark was deliberately vandalised.
The video, made public by the Park Police, shows a woman putting her hand into the water of the pool. The agency stopped short of saying exactly what it believes she did, but it released the images while appealing to the public for help in identifying her, a sign that investigators are still piecing together who was responsible and what took place.
Trump has cast the episode as part of a pattern, saying the pool's ongoing problems stemmed from vandals. The newly released footage gives the administration visual material to point to as it presses that argument, even as the precise nature and extent of the damage remain to be spelled out by officials.
The National Park Service, which manages the site, has set out a plan to put it right. The reflecting pool will be drained, inspected and repaired after the Fourth of July, timing that keeps the water feature in place through the busy Independence Day period before crews move in to assess the damage and carry out repairs.
Stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the reflecting pool is among the most photographed spots in the capital and a frequent backdrop for national gatherings, which raises the stakes of any damage to it. With six arrests already made and an appeal out for at least one more person, the investigation into how the pool was harmed looks set to continue in the weeks ahead.