US tourist smashes 2,000-year-old sculptures at Vatican after being told he can’t see the pope
- The 65-year-old American man is in custody after allegedly throwing one of the Roman busts on the floor then breaking another as he tried to flee
- It will cost an estimated US$14,800 and about 300 hours of work to restore the damaged sculptures
An American tourist has been taken into custody after officials say he damaged two ancient Roman sculptures at the Vatican Wednesday afternoon, multiple outlets are reporting.
The incident took place in the Museo Chiaramonti, part of the Vatican Museums, Adnkronos, an Italian news agency in Rome, reported.
The space joins the Palace of the Belvedere to the Vatican Palaces and holds more than 1,000 ancient sculptures and boasts “one of the finest collections of Roman portraits” in the world.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told Adnkronos the tourist, a 65-year-old American born in Egypt, threw two sculptures on two shelves in the gallery to the ground. The tourist, whose name was not released, he said, was later handed over to the Italian authorities to face charges including aggravated damage.
The outlet reported it will take about €15,000 (US$14,800) and about 300 hours of work to restore the damaged sculptures.
