Detectives are investigating the suspected theft of a Banksy artwork after witnesses filmed photos and videos of a man removing a red stop sign with three military drones, London police said on Saturday.
The sign was stolen less than an hour after the elusive street artist posted a photo of the work to his Instagram page on Friday.
The video showed a man with bolt cutters riding a bicycle to remove work from a signpost on a street corner in the Peckham district of south London, while another man stabilized the bike. The man who interrupted the signal fled with the signal in his hand.
In a video of the incident, a voice can be heard saying, “This makes me so angry,” as the man runs away.
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A witness, who only wanted to be named Alex, told the PA news agency that the small crowd who had come to watch the play were watching the scene unfold.
“We said, ‘What are you doing? But no one knew what to do, we just stared,” Alex explained. “We were all a bit perplexed; There were a few cars honking.”
The Metropolitan Police appealed for help from anyone with information about the reported robbery. There had been no arrests as of late Saturday afternoon.
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Jasmine Ali, vice president of the local council, called for the work to be returned.
“It should not have been removed and we want it returned so the entire community can enjoy Banksy’s brilliant work,” Ali said.
The stop sign has been replaced.
Banksy's art is satirical and thought-provoking and often references war. Many of his followers on Instagram interpreted the work as a call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.