Two suspects were arrested following the theft of a recently unveiled Banksy anti-war piece that took place in Peckham, in southeast London, last Friday, Dec. 22.
The first arrest happened the following day of the incident on Saturday, Dec.23, when a man in his 20s, who was suspected to be involved, was apprehended by Metropolitan Police, as reported by CNN. However, the man has since been bailed with further investigations with his involvement still ongoing.
Consequently, the second suspect, who was in his 40s, was arrested by the local authorities based on similar claims of theft and criminal damage last Sunday, Dec. 24, and is still currently in the custody of the Met Police.
On the same day of the incident, local authorities swiftly replaced the nabbed stopsign artwork with a new traffic sign to prevent accidents that may occur in its absence.
Stolen Banksy Piece Could Fetch Up to £500,000
In a statement to BBC, art gallery owner John Brandler said that the piece could fetch around £250,000 to £500,000 (over $318,000 to $636,000) while adding that "it could easily be higher" due to the press coverage it experienced.
"If I am being cynical, I think he did it as a Christmas present for someone," he said."
The art itself depicts three unmanned American drones that were also sighted within Gaza's airspace earlier this month. Many comments within his Instagram announcement of the piece interpreted it to be connected with the Israel-Hamas conflict, with some saying that this was Banksy's call for a "ceasefire."
Paul Gough, Professor and Vice-Chancellor at Arts University Bournemouth, told the British publication that Banksy's artworks excel within this kind of "ambiguity," saying, "There are some 40,000 comments on his Instagram - yet he follows nobody - and you get a whole range of interpretations."
This political ambiguity coupled with the fact that the questionable acquisition of the artwork might make it very difficult to sell, despite its high price tag and the matching demand for it.
