A 9/11 memorial in South Carolina has been vandalized on Sunday, Sept. 12, with the word “Taliban” in what many are suspecting as an attempt to mock the victims and events that occurred 20 years ago.
Created by Upstate Granite Solutions to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the memorial was defaced with the word “Taliban” written twice on the memorial: on the base and on one of the towers, according to the Independent.
“Apparently, during the night on Saturday night, someone came through and spray painted the base of the monument and one of the towers with spray paint,” Paul Nichols, CEO of Upstate Granite Solution, said.
The graffiti was taken off later with chemical cleaners as Nichols filed a case with the local Sheriff’s office about the defacing that happened in the memorial, which is surrounded by 1,000 tiny American flags, Insider reported.
“We spent the time and money on this monument in order to bring our community together and unite over the memory of those who died on the attacks 20 years ago, as well as those first responders who willingly laid down their lives to serve others,” he said about the memorial.
A suspect has been caught on surveillance video spray-painting the memorial. An unidentified white man with a gray SUV was seen spray-painting the memorial and then driving down New Easley Highway towards Pickens County, according to The News & Observer.
The memorial was finished by the company on Wednesday, Sept. 8, just in time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragedy. Nichols said that he was very proud of the memorial his company commissioned to remember those who died.
“Word got out and Saturday we had hundreds of cars come through throughout the day and many more after dark to view the monument and take pictures with their families,” Nichols said. “It was quite remarkable to see the outpouring of support from our community.”
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