Winston Churchill portrait stolen from Chteau Laurier recovered by Ottawa police in Italy

The "Roaring Lion" has been found.

A 1941 portrait of British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill by famed Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh, which was reported stolen from the lobby of Ottawa's Fairmont Chteau Laurier hotel in August 2022, has been located in Italy, police sources have told CBC News.

Ottawa police investigators, who tracked the photo down, say it is set to be returned to the hotel.

A 43-year-old man from Powassan, Ont., was arrested April 25 and appeared in court in Ottawa the next day, charged with multiple offences, including theft, forgery and trafficking in stolen property. His name is under a publication ban.

Ottawa Police Service's Acting Detective Sgt. Akiva Gellersaid he could not elaborate on why the publication ban was sought. He said details about the portrait's recovery have not been released until now due to the necessary diplomacy required in an international case.

The brazen heist, which made international headlines, occurred during a COVID-19-related lockdown in Ottawa some time between Christmas Day 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, the hotel determined. No one was in the building during that period.

The photo had been gifted to the hotel by Karsh himself and had been on public display at the Chteau for decades until it was removed from the wall and replaced by a fake, which then hung in its place, unnoticed, for eightmonths.

WATCH | How did the Churchill portrait go missing?:

The mystery of the missing Churchill portrait

2 years ago

Duration 9:55

Art heist mystery still unsolved: Who stole Yousuf Karshs iconic portrait of Winston Churchill from the walls of the famous Chteau Laurier hotel and replaced it with a fake? CBCs Paul Hunter examines the clues, including a surprising personal connection to the case.

A complex, global investigation

After learning of the theft, Ottawa police began a global hunt for the photo, ultimately tracking it down in Italy.

Geller said it wasthe most complicated case he has ever dealt with.It was an "extensive" investigation,involving forensic analysis,tips from the publicand support from international organizations, he said.

There was particular help from the London Metropolitan Police, who, he said, were "essentially [the Ottawa Police Service's] right hand."

Ottawa police told CBC News that theydetermined a buyer in Genoa, Italy, had purchased the photo from the London auction house Sotheby's. They emphasizedthat at the time of the sale, neither party was aware it had been stolen. The Italian buyer is not a suspect in the case.

Geller explained the portrait was sold at the auction before the fraudulent version was discovered in theChteau Laurier, so they had no reason to suspect it was stolen.

Will be handed over later this month

Karsh's photo one of the most well-known portraits in the world, and nicknamed "the Roaring Lion" is now set to be formally handed over to Canadian government officials at a ceremony in Rome later this month.

It is to be returned to the hotel some time after that and re-hung on the wall of its lobby.

Jerry Fielder, director of Karsh's estate, told CBC's Nicole Williams that police have kept in touch with him, saying that the investigation was open and "they were feeling positive."

He said he was able to tell Karsh's wife, Estrellita Karsh, this morning that the portrait had been recovered "and she was absolutely thrilled."

In a joint press conference with Geller, theFairmont Chteau Lauriergeneral manager Genevive Dumas said the portrait will be under increased security when it returns. After the fraudulent version was discovered, Dumas said the hotel took down other artand got in touch with security specialists to make sure they weredisplayed in a way that still kept them protected.