Man Arrested for Stealing Banksy Artwork

A man suspected of stealing an artwork by Banksy of a stop sign adorned with three military drones, was arrested Saturday, London police said.

A man in his 20s was in custody on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, the Metropolitan police said.

The sign was taken less than an hour after the elusive street artist posted a photo of the work on his Instagram page Friday.

Video showed a man with bolt cutters climbing up on a bicycle to remove the work from a sign post on a street corner in the Peckham area of south London while another man steadied the bike. The man who cut the sign free then ran off with it in his hand.

A voice on a video of the incident could be heard saying, "it makes me so annoyed," as the man ran away.

A witness who only wanted to be called Alex told the PA news agency that the small crowd of people that had shown up to view the work stood around watching in awe as the scene unfolded.

"What are you doing?" asked Alex, as they all stood there, unsure of how to react. They watched in confusion as the artwork was removed from the stop sign. The sound of car horns honking filled the air.

Jasmine Ali, the deputy leader of the local borough council, demanded that the piece be returned.

"It shouldn't have been taken down. We want it back so that everyone in the community can appreciate Banksy's incredible work," Ali stated.

Soon after, the stop sign was replaced.

Banksy's art is known for its thought-provoking and satirical nature, often targeting war. Many of his Instagram followers interpreted this particular piece as a plea for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The artist, who has remained anonymous since the 1990s, revealed his artwork.