A tourist has been accused of a crime against cultural heritage after allegedly spray-painting graffiti on a historic building in Granada, Spain, according to The Independent.
The tourist is accused of painting the word "Paula" in pink and blue on a wall at the Aljibe del Zenete. Local police in Granada confirmed the graffiti was sprayed on Friday.
The Aljibe del Zenete is a 16th-century Mudejar-style water cistern in the Albaicin district, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
How the tourist was identified
Police said the offender has been charged with a crime against cultural heritage. Local police said their investigative unit, SETI, identified the offender working alongside police in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The Olive Press reported the tourist faces a fine of between 3,000 and 30,050 euros.
A similar case in Pompeii
In 2024, a 37-year-old British tourist was fined by Italian authorities for carving his family's initials into a wall at Pompeii. The unnamed man was caught by staff leaving marks at the House of the Vestals, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was reported to prosecutors in Torre Annunziata. Photographs showed the initials JW, LMW and MW, believed to match the man's daughters' names, scratched beside the date August 7, 2024, and the word "Mylaw." In January 2024, Italy's culture ministry approved tougher fines for damaging historic and cultural sites, with cleanup and restoration fines now ranging from 15,000 to 60,000 euros.
