Resende Costa: Man arrested for destroying 18th-century religious statue

A 20-year-old man was arrested in Resende Costa, Brazil, after attacking a historical religious statue inside a church. According to reports, the individual entered the temple through the sacristy door while religious activities were concluding and struck an 18th-century image of Nossa Senhora do Rosário with a flying kick.

The impact caused the statue, which is a registered piece of local cultural heritage and had been recently restored, to fall and break. The attack also damaged a pair of candlesticks and the ornamentation of the litter (andor). Witnesses reported that the suspect shouted religious insults during the act, claiming the image was “Satanás” and describing the temple as a “temple of the devil.”

Upon the arrival of the Military Police of Minas Gerais, the suspect was found immobilized on a public road by local devotees. Authorities noted that the individual had been involved in other police incidents earlier that day, including a case of bodily injury. He has been taken to the police station for further legal proceedings.