Krapina Police Department spokesman Josip Hanzek said that the monument toppled as a result of the explosion of an explosive device and that nearby houses were damaged by the blast.
Hanzek could not say to what extent the sculpture was damaged or who the perpetrator or perpetrators were, adding that an investigation was in progress.
The Croatian government issued a statement "strongly condemning" the incident, calling it "an act of vandalism". It demanded that the police do all they could to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and punish them accordingly.