France arrests six people over Banksy's stolen artwork commemorating Paris attack

Six people have reportedly been arrested in France over the theft of the famous artwork by the British artist Banksy. As per reports, the painting was stolen from the Bataclan concert hall in Paris last year in January. While the artwork was found at a farmhouse in central Italy earlier this month, the arrested people are still under investigation. 

According to an international media outlet, all the six arrested people are placed in pre-trial detention. Two of those arrested are reportedly under formal investigation on suspicion of theft. The other four, on the other hand, are suspected of concealing the theft. The authorities believe that the thieves used portable grinders to remove the fire-exit door on which the mural was painted before carrying it off in a van. 

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Artwork found in Italy  

According to reports, the painting was found as a result of a joint operation by Italian and French police. Earlier this month, the Italian authorities had reportedly said that the artwork was recovered during a search of a home in the countryside of Tortoreto in Teramo province. The artwork depicts a graffiti of a woman mourning in grief.  

The painting was made as a tribute to the ninety people who were killed on November 13, 2015, after armed gunmen stormed the Bataclan music hall in Paris. The gunmen were believed to be part of some Islamist extremist group in the city who also attacked several other places the same night killing 130 people in total. 

(Image: AP) 

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