Two sculptures have been damaged inside the Vatican Museums in Rome.
On Wednesday morning, a male foreign tourist, said to be an American of Egyptian origin, threw two ancient busts to the floor in the Vatican Museums in Rome, damaging them, but not severely, a source said.
The source stated that following the incident, the ancient busts were immediately transported to the museum’s restoration lab for repair.
Pictures taken by tourists present and posted to Instagram show the cracked busts strewn across the museum’s floor.
The sculptures were lying on two shelves inside the Chiaramonti Gallery, which boasts over 1,000 pieces, and is one of the most important collections of Roman portrait busts.
Photo of the broken busts posted by a tourist to Instagram. (Photo: ANSA)
The man, who was agitated, and reportedly said he wanted to speak to Pope Francis, tried to escape but was caught by Vatican gendarmes, arrested and taken to a police station to be questioned.
Investigations are still ongoing, police said.
