PARIS (Reuters) – Six people have been arrested in France over the theft of an artwork by the British street artist Banksy that was stolen from the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, a judicial source said on Saturday.
The mural, which shows a veiled female figure staring mournfully downwards, was found at a farmhouse in central Italy earlier this month, nearly a one-and-a-half years after it was removed.
Two of those arrested are under formal investigation on suspicion of theft. The other four are suspected of concealing theft, the source said.
It is thought the thieves used portable grinders to remove the fire-exit door on which the mural was painted before carrying it off in a van, Italian media reported when the artwork was discovered.
The Bataclan, one of Paris’ best-known rock venues, was stormed by militants during a concert in November 2015, as part of coordinated attacks around the city that killed 130 people.
(Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Alex Richardson)
