The Chinese tourist who defaced a 3,500-year-old Luxor temple relic unapologetically posted, "What's the big deal about writing just a few words?"
He had scratched the Chinese words, 'Ding Jinhao was here' and the vandalism was uncovered by a Weibo microblog user who visited the Egyptian temple on May 6 and posted it online.
Netizens hunted down the perpetrator, 15-year-old Ding Jinhao (丁锦昊), a middle school student in Nanjing, reported China Daily. They also hacked his school's website to shame him.
According to a report in AFP, they also hacked his school's website, forcing users to click on a sign parodying Ding's graffiti on the ancient sandstone relic on the banks of the Nile River, before entering.
"We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China," Ding's mother said in Modern Express, a China newspaper.
They also said their son had "cried all night" after learning of the cyberattacks, which prompted them to issue the apology.
However, what their son has posted online does not seem apologetic. TT.mop, Tianya and Kanka news uploaded photos of the student and screenshots of his postings.
AFP also reported that a top China official lamented earlier this month that some Chinese tourists overseas are harming the country's image.
Mr Wang Yang, one of China's four vice premiers, condemned behaviours "talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and wilfully carving characters on items in scenic zones".