Banksy artwork stolen from Paris’ Bataclan theater is found in Italy

Italian police have found a Banksy artwork that was stolen from outside the Bataclan theater in Paris last year.

Two sources with the Carabinieri paramilitary police force of the central Italian region of Abruzzo told CNN on Wednesday that one of their units found the painting in the province of Teramo.

The sources were not authorized to speak on the record, and they declined to give more details of the investigation that led them to the discovery.

The Italian prosecutor leading the investigation is expected to give details at a news conference Thursday, the sources said.

The painting was stolen in January 2019.

Banksy painted the mural on the exit door of the theater following the November 2015 terrorist attack on the Bataclan, which killed 90 people. It depicts a sad-looking veiled figure gazing downward, and it is believed to be a tribute to the survivors of that attack.

The attack on the Bataclan, which happened during a concert at the packed venue, was part of a coordinated series of attacks on the French capital the night of November 13, 2015.

Restaurants, cafes, a bar and the city’s main stadium were also targeted. At least 130 people were killed and nearly 500 were wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.