Police in southeast Spain have arrested two men charged with stealing a Baby Jesus figurine from their local nativity scene and demanding a ransom on TikTok for its return, authorities said on Monday.
The two, aged 19 and 21, posted a video on the social media platform calling themselves "the kidnappers" and demanding a 2,000 euro ransom from police in Sant Vicent del Raspeig, a suburb of Alicante, whom they accused of "not taking good care of Baby Jesus".
The video also showed a man with a pixelated face appearing to lift the figurine off the ground and putting it in the boot of a car.
City hall said in a statement the two had acknowledged their involvement in the theft at the police station.
After their video went viral, the statuette reappeared on Sunday evening next to a waste container on a street near the manger display, according to the city's mayor, Pachi Pascual.