Suspect sought after Northeast Philadelphia World War I memorial vandalized

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police are investigating after a World War I memorial in Northeast Philadelphia was vandalized Friday night.

Saturday morning just before 11 a.m., authorities received a 911 call reporting the Burholme World War I Memorial, located at Rising Sun and Cottman avenues, had been vandalized.

Investigators said the World War I memorial was defaced with a red graffiti message reading, "Hamas is here."

Burholme residents later banded together with police and members of Philadelphia's Community Life Improvement Program to clean up the memorial.

"Our community respects our veterans and will never take lightly the cowardly actions of those who defaced our memorial last night. Their actions were not a protest, they were a crime against our community and our nation's veterans," Aizaz Gill, president of the Burholme Townwatch and Civic Association, wrote in a statement Saturday.

Police said the vandalism is under investigation with the Northeast Detectives Division.