Man Stole Medieval Skull From Church and Sealed It in Concrete, Police Say

The man encased the relic in concrete and planned to throw it into a river. The theft occurred on Tuesday at the Basilica of St. Lawrence and St. Zdislava in Jablonne v Podjestedi, a town about 50 miles north of Prague. Police said the skull was housed in an ornate glass case that someone smashed with a blunt object shortly before an evening mass.

A priest in the building heard two loud bangs before he spotted someone running out of the church. The basilica's alarm had been turned off in preparation for the mass.

Police said the man was seen on security footage at the church around the time of the theft, dressed in black. After leaving the building, he changed clothes and fled in a taxi. The man, a 35-year-old whom police did not name, was traced to Mlada Boleslav, a town about 25 miles from the church.

When officers confronted him at his home, he admitted taking the skull but initially refused to reveal its location. After an interrogation, the man told police he had sealed the relic in concrete and planned to toss it into a river. He disagreed with the church keeping the skull on display and wanted to bury it.