US federal authorities are probing a mysterious etching of '8647' on the National Mall grounds in Washington D.C., sparking concerns about potential threats against President Donald Trump. Live webcam footage from atop the Washington Monument shows the markings, with a highly visible '8' and less visible '6', '4', and '7'.
The US Department of Interior has described the incident as 'deranged vandalism', stating that 'any threat against the president is taken very seriously by the department'. The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined, with grass samples collected for testing.
The incident comes just weeks before the US marks its 250th anniversary, with a series of events planned across the National Mall as part of the 'Great American State Fair'. Recent renovations to the area, overseen personally by Trump, include a $13.1m makeover of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
A similar incident occurred last year, when former FBI director James Comey was charged over a picture he posted on Instagram depicting seashells arranged in the same numbers on a beach. Comey has maintained his innocence and vowed to fight the charges.
The US Park police responded to a report of vandalism on the west lawn of the Washington Monument at approximately 11.30am and are leading the investigation into the etching. The US Department of Justice has not commented on whether they will consider this incident a threat against the president.