Crowd watches as thieves raid fountain

ROME, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Two young Romanian men were arrested at Rome’s most famous fountain as they allegedly fished for coins with magnets as a crowd of tourists watched.

Police said the pair removed about 800 euros ($1,102) worth of change from the Trevi Fountain, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Tourists toss coins into the fountain over their shoulders, an act that supposedly guarantees a return visit to Rome. The money gathered from the Trevi is given to Caritas, a Catholic charity that provides services for poor Romans.

The Romanians used long poles with magnets attached to the end, a technique used by the Trevi Fountain’s most famous thief. The man was nicknamed D’Artagnan after one of "The Three Musketeers" because he used a magnet on a sword-like pole and was banned from the area around the fountain in 2002 after 30 years of stealing from it.