A man is said to have attacked the famous Golden Rider in Dresden with an angle grinder and hammer.

The officials, alerted by witnesses, found a 54-year-old nearby on Sunday, the police said on Monday.

He wanted to cut off a horse's hoof from the statue that shows the legendary ruler of Saxony, August the Strong (1670-1733).

The amount of property damage is still unknown.

In the investigation into property damage, the authority is examining a connection with the attack on a speed camera at the weekend in Struppen in Saxon Switzerland.

There is a suspicion that the man hit the device with a hammer on Friday and Sunday.

The background and motive of both cases are still unclear.

The suspect is being investigated for damage to property that is harmful to the community.

The baroque monument from 1736 is on Neustädter Markt between Augustusbrücke and Hauptstraße.

It has been damaged several times in the past by various perpetrators.