Rome's iconic landmark, Colosseum, defaced for 3rd time in a month

ROME (AA) – The Italian police caught a 17-year-old German student for scratching the ground floor wall of the Colosseum while touring with her teacher on Saturday, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Another attempt to damage the historic structure in Rome occurred last Friday.

The student, who was on vacation with her family, was filmed by a tourist guide as she scratched the initial of her name onto the wall of the Colosseum.

The guide reported the young girl, who was damaging the Colosseum, to the authorities.

After the video of the incident was shared on social media, many users also expressed their outrage over the girl’s act to deface the Colosseum.

Both tourists who damaged the Colosseum are likely to face the risk of receiving fines of up to €15,000 ($17,000) and imprisonment for up to 5 years.

The Colosseum, which is approximately 2,000 years old and officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was also vandalized on June 23 by a person of Bulgarian origin living in the UK.

The individual, identified as Ivan, sent an apology letter to the Rome municipality after a video of him writing "Ivan + Hayler 23/6/23" on the wall of the Colosseum caused an outcry on social media.