Bond granted for suspect in Iwo Jima monument attack

A 27-year-old man was released on bond Monday morning after being accused of using a sledgehammer to damage a World War II monument near Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, a Mexican national and former DACA recipient, was granted bond in Prince William County Circuit Court. His next court date has not yet been set.

He faces three charges: felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument.

Prince William County Police officers responded to the scene at approximately 10:13 p.m. on Oct. 21 and observed Maldonado Soriano striking the structure. The limestone sculpture, which stands nine feet tall, depicts the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima.

Authorities reported that the head of one Marine figure was completely removed. Other figures showing the raising of the American flag also sustained damage. Police estimated repair costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Federal sources stated that Maldonado Soriano entered the U.S. illegally in December 1999. He received DACA status in 2014 under the Obama administration. His status was extended in 2024 under the Biden administration and expired in August 2026 after the Trump administration did not renew it.

The statue was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, the artist who later created the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.