WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that federal officials had conducted multiple arrests of individuals he accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool. This came amid his efforts to address why the rehabilitation project exceeding 14 million dollars for the nation's 250th anniversary appeared to have failed.

Trump noted that prior leaders allowed the pool to develop a green algae tint and said he had it lined with a blue shade matching the American flag to enhance reflections of the Washington Monument. Yet after the updated pool opened, the blue hue soon shifted back to green. Staff applied chemicals to address the algae, but the fresh blue coating on the base started to flake away.

On Friday night, Trump wrote about the pool on his social media platform. He stated that vandalism had created real issues at the attractive Reflecting Pool. He added that similar to damage to the grass around the pool three days earlier, efforts had been made to harm the newly installed interior surface.

No supporting details were provided for the assertion. The U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department, which handle security and maintenance on the National Mall, offered no responses to inquiries. Trump later posted that Park Police had detained multiple people for harming the nation's impressive Reflecting Pool, fixing a spelling error afterward.

He continued by questioning who would commit such acts and described them as serious offenses involving harm to national monuments, which could lead to years in prison.

David Hearn, 67, from Bethesda, Maryland, was among those detained. He runs a firm producing materials for watercraft. Hearn mentioned stopping at the pool during a 64-mile bike ride on Friday to check the situation.

Hearn, a past Olympic canoe competitor, explained to The Associated Press that he reached into the water to inspect the flaking new layer. He touched a piece still fixed to the pool edge briefly before releasing it after a park employee instructed him to stop.

However, Hearn noted he was held by National Guard members and Park Police for five hours and released that Friday evening. He described himself as an interested resident who wanted to feel the rubbery texture.

The Washington Post initially covered Hearn's detention, and he indicated a court appearance scheduled for next month while seeking legal assistance.

Even if paint strips were removed from the pool side, that would not account for the algae clouds in the green water or areas of loose blue coating separated from the base.

Trump maintained that suspicious activity occurred there. He suggested chemicals similar to those found on the National Mall had been applied in the Reflecting Pool to ruin the work.

This appeared to reference large numbers found etched in faded grass on the National Mall the prior week reading 86 47. Officials indicated the figures might represent a threat to Trump as the 47th president, with 86 sometimes meaning removal, and they continue to investigate.

Trump's statements followed several days of critical focus on the pool's condition, which attracted media coverage and visitors.