( CNN ) -- Residents of Tripoli woke up Tuesday to find that a landmark statue of a naked woman stroking a gazelle had mysteriously disappeared from the center of the Libyan capital . No one has so far claimed responsibility for removing the statue but residents and journalists suspect hardline Islamist militants who have in the past branded the nude artwork immoral and called for its removal . The bronze statue dates back to the Italian colonial era and , until Tuesday , sat in a fountain at the eponymous Gazelle Roundabout in central Tripoli near the Mediterranean . `` All that remains is part of the base , showing that the bronze statue was wrenched off its pedestal , probably by a mechanical digger , '' reported the English-language daily Libya Herald . The Culture Ministry condemned the act , saying in a statement `` the stealing of the statue is an act of vandalism and is an attempt to obliterate the trace and history of Libya 's landmarks . '' The Tripoli local council also issued a condemnation and called on fellow Libyans to `` protect Libyan heritage and monuments in their area . '' The statue was hit by a mortar shell during heavy clashes between rival militias in August , leaving a gaping hole in the woman 's side . Its removal is the latest example of friction between the powerful Islamist groups and more liberal elements of Libyan society . A video on Libyan television from February 2012 shows a small group of intellectuals and journalists holding a demonstration at the roundabout following hardline Islamists ' threats to remove the statue . One image appears to show a cut in gazelle 's leg , indicating an attempt to saw through the statue . Around that same time , the statue was temporarily covered up by a blue plastic tarp to hide her nudity . There was plenty of condemnation on social media , but at least one poster on Twitter who sympathizes with the ISIS terror group saw the removal as a good thing . `` Statue of Italians who brutally killed Libyans for over 20+ years is brought down today in `` # Tripoli . Libya is free , '' tweeted the user who only goes by the name `` Islam , '' later posting : `` Any Libyan who like that statue hates Libya and Islam . '' Libya has been in the throes of civil unrest since the 2011 revolution and ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi , with rival militant factions competing for control over political and economic power and Libya 's vast oil reserves . There are even two rival governments -- an Islamist-backed , self-installed government controls Tripoli , while a Western-backed government elected in June operates out of the country 's east . There have been fierce deadly clashes for weeks in Benghazi after the Western-backed government and forces loyal it launched a military operation to drive out Islamist militias from the city .
A landmark statue has disappeared from a roundabout in Libya 's capital , Tripoli . The bronze statue of a naked woman stroking a gazelle dated from the Italian colonial era . Islamist militants had previously branded the statue immoral and threatened to remove it . Score: 6