The monolithic panels — situated 90 miles to the east of Atlanta — were vandalized by an explosion at about the time of 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday. as per investigators, according to 11 Alive. “A large portion of the structure” was destroyed by the time authorities arrived at the scene. In the afternoon, the GBI announced that workers have demolished the remainder of the construction “[f]or safety reasons.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) also released surveillance footage of a car leaving the scene shortly after the incident.
It was the Elbert County Sheriff's Office, who first was on the scene, that sought assistance from the GBI for the investigation, 11 Alive reported.
No arrests or persons of interest linked with the explosion have been announced as of now.
The monument was built in the year 1980, fabricated with local granite by an unknown person or group that went under the pseudonym “R.C. Christian,” the Associated Press (AP) stated.
There are a variety of reports on the height of the stones; however, Christopher Kubas, Executive Vice President of the Elberton Granite Association, said they stood at “16 feet and 4 inches tall,” WYFF 4 said. Kubas stated that the stones “weighed about 42,000 pounds each.”
The Guidestones, prior to when they were destroyed, included instructional writings that seemed to promote the concept of population control, eugenics, and global governance. They also had eight languages.
Some examples of writings found on the stones are “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature,” “Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity,” and “Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court,” according to Smithsonian.com.
While some refer to the old stones as “America's Stonehenge,” others saw the stones as “Satanic,” the AP observed.
The stones were previously vandalized, even with graffiti, throughout the years, WYFF 4 reported.
The outlet also reported that residents from as far up to five miles away were frightened by the sound of the explosion at the beginning in the early morning. Many residents believed that they had been hearing “thunder.”
After footage circulated on social media sites of stone being smashed by crews, users expressed their appreciation for this stone's flattening.
Conservative Social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong tweeted a video of the Guidestones being destroyed and said, “You love to see it.”
Former governor candidate Kandiss Taylor tweeted on Wednesday morning “God is God all on His own. He is able to do whatever He would like to accomplish. This includes taking down Satanic Guidestones.” Taylor, who was third in the Republican primary, declared “demolishing” the stone monuments an aspect of her campaign.
