Two suspected British tourists stole a golden statue of Jesus from a 15th-century church in Lithuania and broke it, leaving locals in pain.
Footage shows a man carrying the statue away from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in the old town of Vilnius on Tuesday while his friend filmed him and laughed. The figure's arm suddenly breaks off and shatters to the ground. The men run away and appear to be intoxicated, but this has not been confirmed.
Investigation launched after theft
It is believed the men are British as they are speaking English and appear to have an accent from the North of England. The church's priest, Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, has appealed for help to identify the two men involved.
He said: 'At night from November 11 to 12, near the Vilnius Divine Mercy sanctuary a statue of Christ was torn and broken from the cross. I'm in pain because it's not just a sacred thing. This is the image of the one we love, to whom we pray and entrust the world, the Homeland, our loved ones and ourselves.'
Police assess damage
The broken remnants of the statue have been left in the spot it was taken from with flowers. Vilnius Police said: 'On November 11, at about 9pm in Vilnius, Dominikonų St., from the inner courtyard of the church, an unidentified person broke a golden sculpture of Jesus hanging on a wooden cross. The damage is being assessed. A pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.'
