A former Olympic athlete was taken into custody on Tuesday after allegedly vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., an act that has drawn condemnation from British heritage authorities.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old James Whitmore, a retired swimmer who represented Great Britain in the 2012 London Games, was accused of pouring a chemical dye into the pool, turning its water an opaque shade of red. Police responded to reports of a disturbance at the National Mall shortly after 6 a.m.
local time. Witnesses described a man in a dark wetsuit wielding a container, which he emptied into the basin before attempting to flee. Whitmore was apprehended three blocks away and is expected to face charges of destruction of federal property and vandalism.
The motive remains unclear, though investigators are exploring possible links to environmental activism. The incident has drawn sharp rebuke from Historic England, the public body responsible for conserving the nation’s heritage sites. In a statement, a spokesperson described the act as a “senseless desecration of a symbol of shared history” and called for immediate restoration.
“The Reflecting Pool is not merely a architectural feature but a monument to reflection and democracy. Such damage is an affront to the principles it represents,” the statement read. The National Park Service has estimated the cost of cleanup and restoration at approximately $75,000, with work expected to take several weeks.
The incident has also sparked debate in Washington about the security of public monuments. Senator Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, urged a review of protective measures. Whitmore, who won a bronze medal in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay, has no prior criminal record.
His lawyer declined to comment. A preliminary hearing is set for Friday.
