An arrest has been made after swastikas were spray-painted on the Charging Bull statue near Wall Street and at New York City Hall

By Kristina Sgueglia, CNN

A man identified as homeless has been arrested after swastikas were spray-painted this week on a pillar at New York City Hall and on the Charging Bull statue near Wall Street, the New York Police Department said.

The suspect was arrested on five counts of criminal mischief — a hate crime — and four counts of aggravated harassment, according to a news release Thursday from the NYPD, whose hate crimes task force has investigated the incidents.

It was not immediately clear if an attorney had been assigned to his case.

A swastika, a hate symbol associated with Nazis, was drawn Monday on a pillar outside the entrance to City Hall, and a swastika was spray-painted Tuesday on the Charging Bull statue, police said. Images and video of the incidents were captured by surveillance cameras and distributed by the NYPD.

The person involved in those two incidents may be connected to another swastika drawn earlier in December on a downtown construction site, the NYPD said this week.

Police had been looking for a male last seen wearing a black or gray poncho and who appeared to walk with limp, they’d said.

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