Police investigate '8647' written in grass on US national mall
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- US Park Police are investigating a large imprint of the numbers 8-6-4-7 found in the grass of the National Mall in Washington DC, with grass samples collected for testing to determine the cause of discoloration.
- The numbers "86" are slang for "get rid of," and Trump administration officials claim the message encourages violence against former President Trump, the 47th president.
- The investigation coincides with US prosecutors seeking to jail former FBI director James Comey over a social media post featuring the same numbers, which he denies and calls politically motivated.
- The numbers have been used by Trump's opponents and appeared at protests, with the faded grass imprint located near the World War II Memorial amid a city beautification campaign led by Trump.
- The beautification efforts include a $13.1 million project to repaint the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and plans to build an arch adorned with golden figures such as lions and eagles.