'Art terrorist' kidnaps Emin sign

One of Tracey Emin's installations has been stolen - by "art terrorist" AK47.

The neon sign, bearing the words "Just Love Me", had been hanging outside the Hackney Empire theatre since January. But on Saturday it was " kidnapped" by AK47, who has already stolen a fibreglass sculpture by graffiti artist Banksy.

The art kidnapper said today: "It is not a personal thing against Tracey Emin. It's an act of artopolitical humourism."

He added that the sign was "the tackiest thing I've ever seen".

"It's just held together by a few nails. No joiner would let it out of his workshop," he said.

AK47 replaced the sign with his own logo, which bears the white rose of his home county, Yorkshire. He said he would return the piece to Hackney "within the week".

He denied involvement in last month's Momart warehouse fire in east London. The blaze destroyed more than 100 works including Emin's tent Everyone I Have Ever Slept With, and her beach hut, entitled The Last Thing I Said Was Don't Leave Me Here.

But he did admit taking the Banksy sculpture to the scene of the fire and trying to set it alight.

"We tried to burn it but it didn't work," he said, adding: "It is legally ours. Banksy left it in the street. He said he didn't want it."

Emin and the Hackney Empire confirmed the loss of the sign. "It is in the hands of the police," said a spokesman for the theatre.