Ward Churchill, the University of Colorado professor who described the victims of the 9/11 attack as “little Eichmanns,” now says his pickup truck was vandalized: Churchill’s pickup vandalized.

Vandals painted two swastikas on the truck of besieged University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, Boulder County sheriff’s deputies said Wednesday.

The vandals painted the swastikas on the tailgate of Churchill’s Chevrolet pickup late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Lt. Phil West, a sheriff’s spokesman. He said deputies told him that Churchill’s truck was parked in front of his home when the vandals struck.

Also Wednesday, Churchill turned over to deputies copies of “hate mail” he said he had received. Churchill told the deputies he already had provided the hate mail to the CU campus police, West said.

Churchill has said he has been the recipient of numerous death threats since an uproar erupted over his essay about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Churchill’s scheduled appearance today on a panel at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., was canceled because of security concerns.

CU police Lt. Tim McGraw said that, as of Tuesday, his officers had not received any reports of death threats made against Churchill. But McGraw added that he had been busy in court for most of the day and had not had an opportunity to review reports submitted on Wednesday.

Deputies were called to Churchill’s home Wednesday morning after he phoned them to report the swastikas on his truck, West said. Deputies canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues and interviewing nearby residents to determine whether they had seen anything unusual. Deputies said they found no other recent acts of vandalism in the neighborhood.

It’s not impossible that vandals did paint swastikas on Churchill’s truck. And it’s also not impossible that he did it himself. If he did, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s fraudulently represented himself.