Someone marked ‘8647’ in large numbers on the National Mall Thursday — a phrase that’s been used by opponents of President Donald Trump. The U.S. Park Police said it responded to the Mall about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to a tracing of the numbers ‘8647’ on the grass of the west lawn, large enough to be photographed from the top of the Washington Monument.

Investigation Underway

Photos on Getty Images, taken by a Reuters photographer and video from an EarthCam camera stationed atop the Washington Monument showed the numbers Thursday. A clear ‘8’ and ‘7’, alongside a fainter ‘6’ and a barely visible ‘4,’ can be seen in the grass. The numbers appear as brown spots in the lawn, contrasting with the green grass around them.

The Trump administration has previously said those numbers amount to a threat against the 47th president. Reuters was first to report the markings on the National Mall. It’s not yet clear how the markings were made. ‘The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined,’ Park Police said in a statement. ‘Grass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing.’

Response from Authorities

The U.S. Department of the Interior, the agency that manages the U.S. Park Police and national parks like the National Mall, called the vandalism ‘deranged’ in a statement to NBC News. ‘The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,’ the statement reads. ‘Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.’

‘8647’ is a phrase used by some opponents of Trump to protest his second administration. 86 has long been used in the American hospitality and restaurant industries to mean to ‘get rid of’ something, while 47 refers to Trump’s position as the 47th U.S. president.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.