Moment drunken British tourists steal statue of Christ before smashing it on ground and running away

Do YOU know these men? E-mail: shannon.mcguigan@dailymail.co.uk Published: 07:47 EST, 14 November 2026 | Updated: 07:48 EST, 14 November 2026 This is the moment a brazen tourist who appears to be British smashes a stolen statue of Jesus Christ on the ground before quickly running away.CCTV footage shows two men chuckling on a street in Vilnius, Lithuania, as one hauls the golden statue to pose for a photo.As one man takes pictures, the other, who appears to be inebriated, holds up the figure by its arms before they snap off, sending the Jesus statue flying.The sacred statue crashes to the ground, smashing into several pieces as the culprit exclaims, 'Oh my God,' before the dumbfounded man flees giggling into the night.The man filming also walks away at the same time, shortly before a car drives down the street, running over the scattered pieces of the Jesus statue.The culprit appeared intoxicated in the footage, and both men are thought to be British; however, neither has been confirmed.The idol was taken from near the Shrine of Divine Mercy Church, in the old town of the capital - which is also home to the famed 1934 painting, the Divine Mercy.The church's priest, Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, launched an appeal on social media in a bid to track down the suspect.A brazen tourist, who appears to be British, has smashed a sacred Jesus statue in Vilnius, Lithuania The sacred statue crashed to the ground, smashing into several pieces as the culprit exclaims, 'Oh my God,' before the dumbfounded man flees giggling into the night The idol was taken from near the Shrine of Divine Mercy Church, in the old town of the capital - which is also home to the famed 1934 painting, the Divine Mercy Pictured: Remnants of the broken statue and flowers at the foot of the wooden cross where it was once kept'At night from November 11 to 12, near the Vilnius Divine Mercy sanctuary, a statue of Christ was torn and broken from the cross,' he said.'I'm in pain because it's not just a sacred thing. This is the image of the one we love, to whom we pray and entrust the world, the Homeland, our loved ones and ourselves.'When I saw the broken statue of Christ, I remembered His suffering. Jesus was despised, beaten and nailed to the cross.'But even then he did not stop loving. He asked the Father to forgive his tormentors, promised paradise to the repentant criminal.'He took care of his Mother, strengthened his beloved disciple and, having fulfilled the Father’s will, said, “It is done.”'I sincerely confess that today is difficult for me to pray for those who have. But God thinks differently than I do. He loves them too.'Broken pieces of the statue and flowers have been left at the foot of the wooden cross where the statue was taken from.A Vilnius Police spokesperson said: 'On November 11, at about 9pm in Vilnius, Dominikonų St., from the inner courtyard of the church, an unidentified person broke a golden sculpture of Jesus hanging on a wooden cross.'The damage is being assessed.'A pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.'