A Romanian tourist was arrested at the Athens Acropolis Tuesday after allegedly trying to steal pieces of marble from the ancient Greek landmark.
The 36-year-old was arrested after other tourists noticed him placing his hand on the Propylaea – the remains of the entrance leading to the Acropolis – in a suspicious-looking manner, according to Greek news newspaper Proto Thema.
When approached by the police, the tourists claimed that they did not know that taking the stone pieces was illegal and added that they had already broken the structure.
The alleged thief is being charged with theft, and is likely to be prosecuted under ancient Greek law that stipulates that all ancient cultural objects and property belong to the state.
He was supposed to report to local prosecutors on Wednesday as part of standard procedure for such crimes, according to Iefimerida.
The tourist was caught trying to take a piece of the Propylaea – the entrance to the Acropolis – by another touristAFP via Getty Images
Tourists have caused problems at the ancient site this summer as tourists flock around the world following the end of the outbreak.
Hoping to preserve the ancient site – which sees up to 23,000 visitors per day – Greek officials have begun rolling out measures to limit the number of tourists who can visit, according to the New York Times.
First launched in September, the move includes admitting people to the site in hourly time slots from 8am to 8pm
Greece has begun taking steps to limit the number of tourists who can visit the AcropolisNurPhoto via Getty Images
The incident at the Acropolis is far from the first time a tourist has been caught defaming a priceless landmark this summer.
Just last week, a drunken Irish tourist broke a statue of a lion outside the Brussels Stock Exchange in Belgium when he tried to climb on top of it.
The statue has just undergone a three-year, $150 million renovation, and the cost of damage by tourists is expected to cost about $19,000.
In June, a man was caught carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Colosseum in Rome
A few days earlier in Florence, Italy, a tourist climbed up to the Neptune Fountain to take a picture and broke a piece of the 16th century statue.
Repairs for the damage are expected to run over $5,000.
In June, a smiling tourist kicked off summer by carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the walls of the Colosseum in Rome.
The man, Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old Bulgarian-born fitness trainer living in England, later claimed he did not know how old the landmark was.
“It is with deep shame that only after what was regrettable happened, I learned about the antiquity of the monument,” Dimitrov wrote in a letter of apology.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
