Greek authorities have arrested two women for vandalising museum exhibits in Athens by smearing them with an oily substance at the National Museum of History on Sunday after they were recognised by a guard.
The two women, identified as Roma of Bulgarian origin, told police they were spraying the artworks with oil and myrrh "because the Holy Scripture says it is miraculous" after they were caught in the act, with the "miracle oil" in their hand.
A guard at the National History Museum in the Old Parliament building recognised them from photographs distributed by police to all museums and sites from the CCTV footage of their previous "oil attacks". The guard called police who managed to arrest the two women while they were touching one of the exhibits and holding the bottle of oil but before they had a chance to use it.
The two foreign nationals are now being held at the Athens Security Police headquarters and will be led before a public prosecutor on Monday. They had been sought by authorities for damage inflicted on statues, artwork, and displays at the Byzantine and Christian Museum and the Benaki Museum in Athens.