Stealing protected historic documents or paintings isn't exactly unheard of. 1911 saw the theft of the Mona Lisa, the heist of 'The Scream' happened in 1994 and 2004, and in 2010, Paris' Modern Art Museum was hit.
Recently, a man from Canterbury, England attempted to steal the Magna Carta from the country's Salisbury Cathedral. Unfortunately for him, a group of American tourists decided that wasn't happening on their watch.
According to the Washington Examiner, Mark Royden, 47, is accused of starting a fire to create a distraction in the cathedral. After panic ensued within the building, Royden attempted to smash the document's protective case with a hammer. The nearby American tourists, in a statement given by prosecuting lawyer Rob Welling to a Salisbury court, quickly notified others of the attempted theft, saying "He's trying to steal the Magna Carta, stop him!"
After struggling with multiple individuals, Royden attempted to flee the cathedral but was ultimately caught by a few stonemasons working outside.
Welling credited two things for the intervention of the theft: the protective case surrounding the document being too strong for the hammer used, and also the "good-spirited" visitors. "He did not bank on there being so many good-spirited visitors and members of staff who would be willing to intervene," he said.
The Salisbury Cathedral's 800-year-old Magna Carta-a historic document presented to King John of England near Windsor in 1215-is one of four surviving originals and the best-preserved. Two of the other copies can be found in the British Library and the last of the four is housed at the Lincoln Cathedral.
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