Man attempting to demolish ancient sphinx in Cairo caught

An antiquities ministry source told ABC News that the sphinxes were not damaged.

CAIRO -- A man attempting to demolish one of four ancient sphinxes adorning the Tahrir square in Cairo was caught by security personnel, an eyewitness reports.

"I and my friends were in Tahrir when we saw someone climbing up to the head of one of the sphinxes. He was wielding a big hammer and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' before starting to hit it," Abdallah Elbarawy, a 22-year-old law student at Cairo University, told ABC News.

"He was then captured by security guards, who took him away," Elbarawy said.

Local media said the man, who was not identified, was being questioned.