A man has been arrested and charged over the spray-paint vandalism of the Australian War Memorial and the ABC's Canberra office.
Brendan Evans, 20, was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon after he attended a police station earlier in the day.
He did not enter pleas to five damage Commonwealth property charges, with three of those alleged crimes said to have been carried out in joint commission with a woman.
Police allege Evans spray-painted pro-Palestine slogans on the exterior of the War Memorial in June.
The man is also accused of spray-painting the ABC office on Northbourne Avenue on four occasions in February and March.
"Tell the truth about Palestine ... clock's ticking," those slogans said.
Magistrate Alexandra Burt told Evans: "I am going to grant you bail today on the condition that you not be within 100m of the War Memorial, the ABC in Dickson, Black Mountain tower, the ANU and the Vietnam War memorial."
That is, except when the man is in transit.
"Can you do that?" the magistrate asked him.
He responded: "Yes."
The court heard the accused man was unemployed and "couch surfing".
"Can I encourage you, if you wish to participate in the civic conversation, to do that in a lawful manner," Ms Burt told the man before he left court on conditional release.
Man was 'not acting alone'
A months-long investigation into the multiple instances of vandalism led police to Evans, ACT police told journalists at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Detective Acting Superintendent Stephanie Leonard said officers spoke with him before he handed himself in at Gungahlin police station.
She alleged the man was "not acting alone" and police were working to identify and locate other people allegedly involved in graffitiing the ABC building and the Australian War Memorial.
"Investigations are ongoing in relation to those other accomplices and further charges are likely in the future," the Acting Superintendent said. "There are a number of other incidents that are under investigation."
She said the charges carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
The Acting Superintendent said there was no indication that the man in custody would be helping police identify alleged accomplices.
She said police were appealing to the public for relevant information.
"If the public have any information on the incidents they are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers," she said.
Memorials on Anzac Parade have been vandalised four times in recent months. Those actions were recently condemned by the Returned and Services League.
"People are entitled to protest, but the defilement of a memorial to those who served, suffered and died in the service of the Australian nation and to protect the freedoms and way of life of all Australians is disgusting and to be deplored," RSL national president Greg Melick said in June.
"This action does absolutely nothing to advance the protesters' cause and in fact will likely result in a major loss of support."
