London police announced on Saturday the arrest of a man in connection with the theft of a Banksy artwork on a street in south London.
The Metropolitan Police, which is leading the investigation, said the man, in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
Previously, witnesses took photos and videos of a man removing a red stop sign with three military drones just hours after the artwork was posted on the artist's Instagram page.
The artwork was located in the Peckham district of south London and was interpreted by many as a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Banksy” is the pseudonym of a British street artist whose works often deal with themes such as war.
In one of the recorded videos, a man used bolt cutters to cut the sign from the signpost after getting on a bicycle. Another man helped by holding the bike.
The man who cut the sign from the post ran away with it.
London's Metropolitan Police had asked citizens to report information about the incident.
The stop sign has since been replaced.
Witnesses “confused”
A person who witnessed the event told Britain's PA news agency that witnesses were unsure how to react.
“We said, 'What are you doing?' But no one really knew what to do, we just watched it happen,” Alex said.
“We were all a little confused,” Alex added. “There were a few car horns.”
Local council deputy chairwoman Jasmine Ali said the piece should be returned.
“It should not have been removed and we would like to have it back so everyone in the community can enjoy Banksy’s brilliant work,” she said.
This isn't the first time one of Banksy's artworks has been removed.
In December 2022, Ukrainian police arrested eight people who attempted to remove a Banksy mural in the capital Kiev.
ss, sdi/lo, jsi (AP, AFP)