Dozens of Christian statues vandalized in Germany

German police are suspecting a religious motive in the destruction of around 50 Christian statues in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Havixbeck, a municipality on the north-east edge of the Baumberge, is the focus of the investigation. The local state broadcaster WDR released a video showing the broken and defaces statues.

Police spokesman Mirko Stein said that the noses and eyes of the sculptures are the primary targets of the perpetrators.

"In particular, faces [of the figures] are made unrecognizable, noses are being cut off, eyes are scratched," he said.

According to a report from Express, the police passed on the investigation to the secret police department due to the religious nature of the attacks.

The police stated that: "This is property destruction that is in the open and is of course noticed right away. Also a large number of the people in the neighbourhood where the sculptures are, were shocked and scared. The police want this fear to disappear as soon as possible."

Criminologist Christian Pfeiffer suggested that the attacks are a form of revenge against the Church.

"From my point of view much would indicate that it's about someone who feels powerless against the Catholic Church, who couldn't have his 'revenge' in any other way," said Pfeiffer.

In an effort to stop the destruction of the statues, a five-member investigative group was formed in November.

The police have acknowledged that the progress of the investigation will depend on the quality of information they have gathered from the public. They are appealing for witnesses who might have noticed any suspicious people around the sculptures in the past few weeks.

Earlier this year, a series of desecrations of Christian symbols have been reported by several news outlets. In the district of Steinfurt, around 40 cases of desecrations of Christian statues have been recorded.

Six people, who were allegedly linked to Islamic extremists, were investigated in relation to the attacks in Steinfurt. However, the inquiry was cut short after three of the men went to Syria. One of the suspects was believed to be dead, and another has moved to an unknown address. The fate of the sixth suspect remains unverified.