Israeli defense firm’s Arlington office targeted by activists

Workers clean off the red paint from the Arlington office building.(WTOP/Mike Murillo)

An Arlington, Virginia, building was vandalized with messages scrawled in red paint early Monday morning, and it appears the building was targeted because one of its tenants is an Israel-based defense firm.

The Arlington Tower office building had red paint splattered on the glass doors and on the ground in front, and according to videos posted to social media, the messages written with the paint included phrases such as “war criminals” and “Free Palestine.”

In a statement, Elbit Systems of America said in a statement that it is working with local law enforcement after what happened.

“Elbit America employs thousands of Americans who are dedicated to the mission of creating innovative solutions that protect and save lives. While we support the rights of protesters to peacefully express their views, we take the safety and well-being of our employees extremely seriously and we will continue to work closely with local officials to ensure safety for all,” the statement read.

The building is home to one of the offices of Elbit Systems, and on X, an account called Palestine Action US claimed its followers were behind the vandalism, even though Arlington County Police said no arrests have been made.

WTOP also confirmed two other offices associated with the company were targeted by vandals who left similar messages in red paint in Massachusetts and Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. Both the Cambridge Police Department and the Amity Township Police said similar incidents happened in their jurisdictions.

Mike Murillo

Mike Murillo is a reporter and anchor at WTOP. Before joining WTOP in 2013, he worked in radio in Orlando, New York City and Philadelphia.

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