The American flags that were stolen from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge by German artists have been returned to US custody in Germany, sources said.
The two flags have been transferred to the US embassy in Berlin, where artists Mischa Leinkauf and Matthias Wermke flew after they performed the daring feat, according to law enforcement sources.
The pair claim they simply wanted to “show the beauty of public space” when the spooked the city by removing the flags and planting mysterious white banners on the bridge instead.
The duo told The New York Times that they wanted to pay homage to famed German-born engineer John Roebling, who designed the bridge, by planting the flags on July 22, the anniversary of this death in 1869.