Unnamed pair who affixed bust of NSA whistleblower onto war monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, receive summonses for non-criminal violation

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The mystery artists who put a bust of Edward Snowden on a War of Independence memorial have been ticketed but not criminally charged, while the city has given back their confiscated statue, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The four-foot-tall, 100-pound likeness of the exiled National Security Agency whistleblower appeared last month on a monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn. Within hours parks officials had ordered it removed and police investigated the unauthorised artistic statement.

The inquiry ended with two activist artists receiving $50 (£33) summonses for being in a park after hours, a non-criminal violation, said attorney Ronald Kuby, who did not identify the people involved. Authorities have not released their names.

“We’re extremely grateful that the city has reconfirmed its commitment to the arts, even those that are unusual and offbeat,” Kuby went on. He said the artists collected the statue from authorities Wednesday.

The police department did not immediately respond to inquiries about the matter.

Snowden is living in exile in Russia after divulging the US government’s secret collection of phone records and other intelligence-gathering methods. The fiberglass-reinforced cement rendering of his face was affixed to a monument that honours the American captives who died on British prison ships during the War of Independence.

The bust’s creators said in a statement on Wednesday that they wanted to “help the public have an important national debate about mass surveillance” and provide an alternative view of Snowden, whom they feel has been vilified by the media.

Police noted last month that the statue was erected “without permission or authority”.

The artists have said they would like to seek permission to exhibit it legally through a temporary art-in-parks programme. The Parks Department said on Wednesday it had not yet received such an application.

In the meantime, a New York gallery, Postmasters, has registered its interest in displaying the statue at an upcoming show.