Georgia Guidestones — 'America's Stonehenge' — Destroyed After Explosion

ELBERTON, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation shared surveillance videos of the explosion Wednesday that damaged the Georgia Guidestones monument — also known as "America's Stonehenge."

The Georgia landmark is located near Highway 7 and the South Carolina state line in Elbert County. The explosion took place around 4 a.m. Wednesday and destroyed a large portion of the structure, the GBI said. The monument was later demolished for safety reasons, WSB-TV reported. The District Attorney of the Northern Judicial Circuit told the news station that the person responsible will face a minimum of 20 years in prison because destroying a public, historical landmark is a criminal act.

Investigators said an explosive device was left on the monument. The videos released by officials show the explosion and a car leaving the scene shortly afterwards. No one was injured, officials said.

The monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic was built in 1980 from local granite, commissioned by an unknown person or group under the pseudonym R.C. Christian.

The site received renewed attention during Georgia’s May 24 gubernatorial primary when third-place Republican candidate Kandiss Taylor claimed the guidestones are satanic and made demolishing them part of her platform.

The monument had previously been vandalized, including when it was spray-painted in 2008 and 2014, Katie McCarthy, who researches conspiracy theories for the Anti-Defamation League, told The Associated Press. She said the bombing is another example of how conspiracy theories “do and can have a real-world impact.”

The 16-foot-high (5-meter-high) monument includes eight different languages with guidance for living in an “age of reason.” One part called for keeping world population at 500 million or below, while another calls to “guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.”

It also serves as an astronomical calendar. The monument was proposed by a man who used the name of R.C. Christian, who said he wanted to “leave a message for future generations.”

The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating. There have been no arrests at this time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.