From the Tears of Jesus book:
This incident reminded people of the destruction of Michelangelo’s Pietà on May 21, 1972. That act was committed by Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian born in Australia.
On that day in 1972, many people attended Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, hoping to be blessed by Pope Paul VI. Laszlo Toth went into the crowd and waited for a chance to break through the guard, and then he attacked the Pietà.
“I am Jesus Christ!” he cried out many times and hit the statue with an iron hammer and broke the arms of Mary, who was sorrowfully holding her son Jesus, taken down from the cross. He also injured the nose and the eyebrows of Mary. However, he did not touch the image of Jesus himself.
Laszlo Toth was sentenced to nine years in prison. Mass media worldwide sensationalized the already shocking incident, categorizing it as an act of terrorism against great art and culture. Many newspapers used the eye-catching headline: “Jesus hits Mother Mary!”