Dozens of Jesus Christ Statues Beheaded, Smashed in Germany by Suspected Islamic Extremists

Leah Marieann Klett : Dec 15, 2016
Gospel Herald

Due to the dense Muslim population in the region, police were investigating six men with alleged links to Islamic extremists, but gave up after three left for Syria, one died and the other two dropped off the radar...

(Germany)—[Gospel Herald] A bizarre crime wave is sweeping across Germany, where fifty statues of Christ and other Christian figures have been defaced and smashed to pieces. (Photo credit: Ansgar Kreuz/WN.de)

According to Heavy.com, dozens of Christian statues in the Münster region in west Germany have been destroyed, including one of Jesus Christ which had its head lopped off. Several statues of Christ and other saints are missing limbs or other fragments, while the facial features of still others are bashed in.

While they have yet to catch the perpetrators, police in the area say they suspect a "religious background" to the crimes. Officers also told local media they believed the vandalism was driven by "pure lust for destruction". Due to the dense Muslim population in the region, police were investigating six men with alleged links to Islamic extremists, but gave up after three left for Syria, one died and the other two dropped off the radar, according to Heavy.

Mirko Stein of the Münster police told local news show Lokalzeit Münsterland that "large numbers of the people in the neighborhood where the sculptures are shocked and scared ... Based on the intensity of the acts of the perpetrator, one can already conclude that this act has a religious background."

German criminologist Christian Pfeifer believes crimes were committed by someone who is "angry" and "hates the Church"...

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