Key suspect

Vandalism, such as anti-government slogans painted on public walls likely by activists, is not always politically motivated.

Some vandals ruin or destroy private property senselessly.

A man in a hoodie punctured water bottles stacked outside a Bronx, New York City grocery store on the night of 28 October, according to the New York Daily News.

A CCTV camera caught the unprovoked attack, but the victim and police were not able to identify the vandal.

The suspect returned to the Pioneer Supermarket on Featherbed Lane in the Morris Heights community two days later and did the same thing, puncturing 10 cases of bottled water stacked on pallets before taking off, according to NYDN.

Police were alerted to the criminal mischief through 911 but failed to arrest the culprit.

In Cardiff, Wales, a more destructive vandal struck in the Canton neighborhood on 31 October, while people were asleep, according to local police.

Residents of Lansdowne Road were shocked when they woke up to find their cars had been keyed.

The only lead police had was not helpful in identifying the vandal. The footage from a doorbell camera only showed a person in a red jacket and dark hood carrying a rucksack. So police appealed to the public for help in identifying the vandal.

The footage showed the mystery person scratching each car parked along the road with a key as they passed, as reported by the Daily Mail. The estimated cost of damage to each car was £500.

With 80 cars scratched, the combined cost of the damage was a mind-boggling £40,000, according to the Daily Mail.