'Domestic terrorism': DA vows to pursue felony charges in Georgia Guidestones bombing

Northern Circuit District Attorney Parks White said Thursday that he intends to prosecute whoever used an explosive to destroy the Georgia Guidestones — an act he described as "domestic terrorism."

While no suspects have yet been identified, White said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has "many leads" in the bombing that occurred at about 4 a.m. Wednesday at the Elbert County monument.

The GBI released a segment of security-camera video at the site that shows the explosion and a silver sedan leaving the scene. White has viewed other segments of the video and he described the power of the explosion as "terrifying."

Previous coverage: Georgia Guidestones site in Elbert County demolished after bombing damaged the monument

What we know: Georgia Guidestones in Elberton demolished after explosion. What to know about the monument

"The power of this device they detonated was enormous," he said about the explosive that shattered one of the 19-foot-tall sections of granite that anchored what some have called "America's Stonehenge."

GBI Agent Jesse Maddox said Thursday that agents are continuing to examine all leads that have come in from the public.

The GBI had the monument knocked over completely later Wednesday after officials deemed it unstable. The monument was located north of Elberton along Georgia Highway 77 in a rural area. A security camera had been installed due to past instances of vandalism.

"Regardless of your feelings about the origin of the Guide Stones, their meaning, or the intention of the person who commissioned and erected them, they are a historical landmark, and this destructive act was an assault upon our community," White said in a statement.

White further stated that using the "massive explosive device" was a criminal act which placed people in danger of serious injury.

"The Guidestones are officially owned by the governing authority of Elbert County, and any structure open to the public and owned by a subdivision of the state is considered a public building," White said, adding a conviction carries a minimum of 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Elberton Granite Association Executive Vice President Chris Kubas said Thursday that the association has provided maintenance for the monument over the years, but that he understands the land was deeded to the county by the unknown person who paid to have the stones carved and erected in 1980.

Over the years, especially after the advent of the Internet, the Guidestones became a tourist attraction visited by people from throughout the world, Kubas said.

Kubas, who was a demolition expert while serving in the military, said he went to the site on Wednesday, and from what he observed he knew the explosives used "had to be fairly substantial."

While one stone section was completely shattered, Kubas said the capstone on top was also severely damaged. Because that stone is instrumental in holding the monument together, those at the site were worried about it falling, he said.

"I feel very sad for our granite industry and the city of Elberton and Elbert County and the United States," Kubas said. "It was something people from around the world came to see."

The monument was also a testament to the skills of those in the granite industry in Elbert County, he said.

Kubas could not speak on whether the Guidestones will be rebuilt, although a number of manufacturers in the area have let it be known they would be interested in donating for such a project.

Those are conversations that will have to happen with Elbert County officials, he said.

Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves said he was upset by the destruction of the Guidestones, calling it an act of radicalism.

"The Guidestones are unique and confusing to many, but the message they testify to has never been what is written on them or what some kooky YouTuber thinks they mean. It is the stones themselves and the men and women who crafted them from the raw earth that tell the story," Graves said.

"There is only one community in the world that could build such a monument," Graves said as a compliment to the craftsmen in the Elberton granite industry.

Graves said he would personally support having the monument rebuilt because it was destroyed "by an act of terrorism."

"It was our weird little oddity," the mayor said, noting how other roadside oddities become tourist landmarks such as the Tree that Owns Itself in Athens and the Iron Horse in Greene County.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the GBI's Region 11 office at (706) 552-2309.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: The Georgia Guidestones: DA vows to prosecute from Wednesday bombing