Police arrest suspected Banksy longfinger
Banksy works can fetch millions of dollars and are accordingly coveted. When a new work appears, the race begins to see who can get their hands on it. This time, a traffic sign is taken down. The police respond with an arrest.
After unknown persons took a stop sign with a suspected work of art by Banksy on Friday, London police have arrested a suspect. "A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage in connection with the case," the Metropolitan Police said. He remains in custody.
The traffic sign had been replaced so as not to endanger anyone. Three aircraft resembling drones could be seen on the stop sign. Photos of the work were uploaded to Banksy's official Instagram account on Friday. This is how the British artist usually announces his authorship. After just one hour, the post had already collected more than 270,000 likes.
A short time later, two men took down the stop sign. It is unclear who the men are and why they did this. However, Banksy's works are valuable and fetch high sums at auction. The police said that a theft had been reported to them and that the investigation was ongoing. They are aware of the video footage that has been shared. The investigators called on witnesses to come forward with information.
Back in February, a new work by Banksy was removed shortly after it appeared: "Valentine's Day Mascara" initially appeared on a wall in Margate in the south-east of England on Valentine's Day, apparently depicting domestic violence: it shows a housewife dressed in 1950s style with a swollen eye and a missing tooth pushing her partner into a real freezer leaning against the wall of a house. It was later removed by people posing as council employees. In September, the painting reappeared in the exhibition "The Art of Banksy" in central London - where it can be viewed free of charge.
Banksy, who works anonymously, is one of the best-known contemporary artists. He did not initially give a title to the pictures of the stop sign. It is possible that the artist opposes the use of drones for the targeted killing of people. The USA has been accused of using Predator drones to kill suspected terrorists.
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The arrested suspect is believed to be connected to the theft of a stop sign featuring an alleged Banksy artwork, which sparked international interest due to its potential value in the art market. The suspected art piece, adorned with drone-like objects, was meticulously documented and widely shared on Banksy's official Instagram account, revealing the artist's signature style and generating a significant online following.
Source: www.ntv.de
