Statue of King David stolen from Copenhagen shop

Copenhagen's cathedral says a two-tonne bronze statue of the Old Testament ruler was stolen from a stoneworking shop in Copenhagen, where it was being repaired.

The three-metre-tall statue normally stands outside Our Lady's Church in the Danish capital.

It was moved to the shop three months ago.

Its granite pedestal was to be repaired after a car crashed into it in June.

Statue and pedestal were to have been returned Monday, when stonemason Flemming Brian Nielsen realized it was missing.

"At first we thought it was a joke. But it wasn't. This is not something you can have standing in your window," said the cathedral's dean, Anders Gadegaard. "Someone must have used a big truck and crane to get away with it."

Copenhagen police didn't immediately respond to queries about the investigation on Friday.

Gadegaard said selling the statue would be difficult but he feared the bronze could be melted.

"That would be a total disaster," he said.