A 16-year-old teenager has been arrested following an investigation into the felling of one of the most photographed trees in Great Britain, DPA reported on Thursday, citing Agerpres.

The Gap Tree Sycamore, a maple tree that grew right next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland in northeast England, became famous after appearing in a key scene in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in which the American actor Kevin Costner. The ancient structure was erected by order of the Roman emperor Hadrian to prevent the invasion of barbarian hordes.

Northumberland Police launched an investigation on Thursday after a tree was “deliberately felled” last night and said it was treating the crime as an act of vandalism.

British police later said a 16-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

According to the press secretary, the teenager is in custody and is assisting the police in the investigation.

The act of vandalism caused a wave of horror and outrage

The famous maple, at least two centuries old, which grew in a picturesque setting near Hadrian’s Wall and could be admired from its position and from the nearby road, was cared for by Northumberland National Park Authority and the National Trust.

Several photos released Thursday morning show the legendary tree falling to the ground with its trunk cut horizontally next to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient Roman wall.

On social media X, local politician Stephen Bridgett said that the tree “was definitely cut down with a chainsaw”.

This news caused a wave of horror and indignation in the social networks of nature lovers.