A swastika drawn on a window shade in purple ink was found inside the U.S. embassy in Bulgaria last month, raising concern within the State Department headquarters itself about antisemitism.

News of the discovery circulated in Washington on Friday after the embassy in Sofia sent back a diplomatic cable describing the incident; a similar incident occurred last summer in DC.

The image was first identified on Jan. 28th, a day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The latest swastika was found in a secure part of the embassy, indicating whoever drew it had access inside an American diplomatic outpost, according to sources with knowledge of the cable.

"The department takes this matter extremely seriously," said Ned Price, a State Department spokesperson. "We unequivocally condemn any instances of hate or bias in the workplace, which this appears to be."

"This is a repugnant symbol that stands for everything we as a department are standing against," he said. "We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure the State Department, including our posts overseas, remain a welcoming, inclusive and bias-free workplace."

President Biden has nominated Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt to lead a State Department office charged with monitoring and combating antisemitism. While the office was created in 2004, this would be the first time the special envoy post would carry the rank of ambassador. During her Senate confirmation hearing this week, Lipstadt warned of a rise in antisemitism, calling it "staggering."