An Irish man who had gone to Belgium as a tourist was arrested by the Brussels police after he was caught damaging the recently restored lion statue at the Brussels Stock Exchange. The estimated cost of damage caused by the man is a whopping $19,000 (Rs 15.83 lakh).
The incident happened just a day after the building was reopened to the public following a three-year renovation that cost $150 million, reported the New York Post. There are two of the statues located on either side of the entrance to the building and they were also restored as part of the project.
The incident occurred when the tourist, allegedly in an inebriated condition tried to take a picture of himself perched on the back of the statue which depicts a lion held by an angel. But when he tried to climb down, he broke a part of the statue, believed to be the torch held by the angel.
Shortly after the incident, the Brussels police arrested the man from a nearby fast food restaurant. He was reportedly unaware of the extent of damage he had caused to the statue, reported the news outlet.
The Irishman was filmed by a police camera allowing officers to intercept the visitor.
According to Nel Vandevennet, project manager, the repair work on the heritage-listed statue may take some time to be completed.
“We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months. The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions, which were in a bad way," Nel Vandevennet told VRT NWS, a local media outlet.