Police seek men who damaged Jesus figure at Vilnius church

Police are searching for the person who damaged a figure of Jesus at the Church of the Divine Mercy in Vilnius, LRT reported. The church community has shared security camera footage and asked the public to help identify those involved.

At about 9 p.m. on November 11, an unidentified person smashed a gold-coloured figure of Jesus that hung on a wooden cross in the church’s inner courtyard on Dominikonų Street.

Another video circulating on social media shows one man posing with the figure after it was removed from the cross while a second man takes a photograph. The men appear to flee after the figure breaks. They were speaking English, the report said.

The church community is asking anyone with relevant information to contact police on +370 700 60 000 or submit information through epolicija.lt. It has especially appealed to residents of the Old Town and nearby districts, as well as staff at accommodation businesses.

Police said a pre-trial investigation into a public order offence under the Criminal Code is under way. The identity of the suspect is being established, Vilnius County Police Headquarters said.