Swastika painted on Biden and Harris campaign sign in Iowa

Officials in Iowa’s Polk County say they responded to four other damaged campaign signs in six months

Police in Iowa say a swastika was painted on a sign that supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket.

Neighbors suspect the sign was defaced overnight on Monday, The Des Moines Register reported, in what was said to be an “extreme” incident.

The sign, which sat outside an address in Ankeny, Iowa, had Biden and Harris’s names covered with white paint and a swastika drawn on top in red, according to a police report.

Polk County sergeant Ryan Evans told the Register that no suspects were identified.

"That's obviously extreme," said Mr Evans. "It could be construed as a hate crime, which does elevate the severity."

Ankeny’s police department have responded to four similar reports in the past six months, said Mr Evans, which included one sign set on fire near Bondurant, around 12km (7.45 miles) west of Ankeny.

No other incidents involving damaged campaign signs in Polk County have included swastikas or related violent symbols.

The incident comes as Mr Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, suggested on Monday that Iowa and other states had moved within his reach.

Recent opinion polls have shown the former vice president statistically tied with president Donald Trump, who took Iowa in 2016, and campaigned in the state last week.

Mr Biden, for his part, said he was “going to be going to Iowa, be going to Wisconsin, I’m going to Georgia, I’m going to Florida and maybe other places as well,” as his campaign entered its final week.