Police have arrested a man suspected of trying to steal a Magna Carta from its display at Salisbury Cathedral.<\/p>\n
Alarms went off after the suspect smashed holes into the glass box which protects the valuable document on Thursday at about 17:00 BST.<\/p>\n
The 45-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempted theft, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon.<\/p>\n
The Magna Carta has not been damaged and nobody was injured, police said.<\/p>\n
The suspect had been taken to Melksham police station where he is being questioned.<\/p>\n
The Magna Carta is a charter of rights agreed by King John of England in 1215. It is considered one of Britain’s most influential legal documents.<\/p>\n
Only four original copies exist and Salisbury Cathedral is home to the best preserved version.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the cathedral said: “We can confirm that at the end of the afternoon yesterday, a man attempted to break into the case which houses Magna Carta in the Cathedral’s Chapter House.<\/p>\n
“He was arrested by police shortly afterwards and taken into custody.<\/p>\n
“We are very relieved that no one was hurt during the incident and that the Magna Carta itself is undamaged.<\/p>\n
“We are very grateful to all who dealt with the situation so swiftly and effectively.”<\/p>\n
She added that the Magna Carta would not be available to visitors but the cathedral aimed to have it back on display as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The Salisbury copy went on display in 2015 in the 13th-century Chapter House at the cathedral.<\/p>\n
Magna Carta outlined basic rights with the principle that no one was above the law, including the king<\/p>\n
It charted the right to a fair trial, and limits on taxation without representation<\/p>\n
It inspired a number of other documents, including the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/p>\n
Only three clauses are still valid – the one guaranteeing the liberties of the English Church; the clause confirming the privileges of the city of London and other towns; and the clause that states that no free man shall be imprisoned without the lawful judgement of his equals<\/p>\n
The British Library has two copies of the 1215 Magna Carta<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"