Video shows explosive device being placed at Georgia Guidestones, GBI says
Video shows bomb being placed at Georgia Guidestones, GBI says
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says this video shows someone approach the Georgia Guidestones during the early morning hours of July 6, 2022 and place an explosive device. The video was taken by a time-lapse camera, but has been slowed down here to "real time."
ATLANTA - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Thursday released a new video related to the bombing of the Georgia Guidestones.
The GBI tweeted the video stating it shows an unknown person placing the explosive device at the base of the iconic, if not mysterious monument.
In the video, a figure can be seen approaching the monument. They disappear behind one of the vertical slabs and out of the camera shot for a short time before running away.
Investigators said around 4 a.m. Wednesday the explosive device was detonated. Elbert County investigators arrived and noted a large portion of the structure was damaged.
Videos of the actual explosion as well as a video showing a silver sedan driving away from the scene were released by investigators late Wednesday afternoon.
"We recognize that this case has drawn high public interest with many questions," the GBI tweeted on Thursday. "Our EOD unit made the call to demolish the entire structure since someone destroyed one of the five vertical slabs that held the structure up."
The GBI said the weakened structure made for an "unsafe environment" leading to the decision to demolish it.
The Georgia Guidestones in a heap on the ground after authorities torn them down when they were damaged by an explosion. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
The Georgia Guidestones was a granite attraction in Elbert County. It was located off of Guidestone Road just east of Ga. Highway 77.
What are the Georgia Guidestones?
The origin of the monument is ambiguous. They were allegedly commissioned by a person under the name R.C. Christian, established in 1980 and have become a roadside attraction for travelers. It's sometimes referred to as "America's Stonehenge" for its unknown origins.
The monument is 19 feet high and each stone block weighs about 42,000 pounds. It serves as a calendar and is inscribed with a 10-part message in eight different languages. The messages are "guidelines" to humanity, that people have suggested are a "cult message."
"They were meant for a future population after a cataclysmic event," Kubas said.
Elberton colloquially known as "the Granite Capital of the World." The stones were crafted from locally-mined granite and built by an Elberton-area company.
What do the Georgia Guidestones say?
The English portion of the inscription reads:
"Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
Unite humanity with a living new language.
Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
Balance personal rights with social duties.
Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
Be not a cancer on the Earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature."
Georgia Guidestones backlash, vandalism
Former gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor proposed demolishing the Georgia Guidestones as part of her platform, calling them "Satanic."
Over the years the Guidestones have been subjected to graffiti and vandalism.
"But we've never had this level of damage ever done to the Guidestones," Kubas said.