Woman arrested in DC cathedral vandalism

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police said they are investigating whether a woman arrested in the splattering of green paint inside two chapels at the Washington National Cathedral has any connection to two similar incidents on the National Mall.

Jiamei Tian, 58, was arrested Monday inside the cathedral shortly after the paint was found and charged with defacing property, police and cathedral officials said. Investigators were hoping to question her about the vandalism on the Mall, including the splattering of green paint at the Lincoln Memorial, but a language barrier was complicating those efforts, Assistant D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said after the arrest.

It was not immediately clear if Tian had an attorney. Police believed she was homeless. No motive was given.

Green paint was found early Friday morning on the Lincoln Memorial, and symbols have also been found painted in green on another statue on the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial was closed temporarily but reopened later Friday.

Sgt. Paul Brooks, a U.S. Park Police spokesman, said it was too early to tell whether the same person was responsible for the vandalism at the two Mall landmarks. He noted that while the paint appeared to be splattered indiscriminately on the memorial, the statue appeared to have been deliberately painted. The symbols on the statue were not immediately decipherable.