Christopher Columbus gets ax to the head in Detroit

In what could be dubbed an act of criminal irony, a statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Detroit was vandalized just in time for this year's Columbus Day.

The statue, located at Jefferson and Randolph right next to city hall, was splashed with fake blood, and a hatchet was taped to his forehead as if it had just been struck.

The hatchet was later removed by a group of urban explorers, who can be seen examining the statue in a video posted to Facebook.

It was not clear when exactly the statue was vandalized. Detroit police are looking into the incident. City officials will have the fake blood cleaned up tomorrow, said Dan Austin, a Mayor's Office spokesman.

The statue was dedicated in 1910 to honor Detroit's Italians, but was restored and relocated in 1988, according to the statue's plaques.

One of the plaques also reads that Columbus is a "great son of Italy" who "discovered America."

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: dbethencourt@freepress.com