Romanian treasures stolen from Dutch museum ‘could still be intact’
The theft caused shockwaves in Romania, where the artefacts have ‘a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society’.
A priceless golden helmet and other Romanian artefacts stolen from a small museum in the Netherlands have not been melted down and could still be recovered, Dutch prosecutors said.
The theft in January shocked Romania, whose national museum loaned the artefacts for an exhibition.
The then-president Klaus Iohannis said at the time that the artefacts had “exceptional cultural and historical importance” for Romanian heritage and identity, and that their disappearance had “a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society”.
Thieves used a homemade firework bomb and sledge hammer to break into the Drents Museum, in the eastern Dutch city of Assen, on January 25 and steal items, including the intricate golden Cotofenesti helmet that dates back 2,500 years and is one Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilisation.
Grainy security video distributed by police after the raid appeared to show three people opening a museum door with a large crowbar, after which an explosion is seen.
Within days of the break-in, three people were arrested by police.
On Friday, a judge at North Netherlands District Court ordered two suspects, aged in their mid-30s, to remain in custody for a further 90 days pending further inquiries.
They have been charged with three offences linked to their alleged involvement in the heist: Causing an explosion, damaging the museum and stealing the artefacts.
A third suspect, aged 20, is also under arrest.
All three come from the same town near Amsterdam.
One of the suspects, identified by Dutch media as Douglas W, insisted he was innocent, national broadcaster NOS reported.
“I’m sitting here innocent and my life is ruined,” he was reported to have told the court.
Police are still seeking four other people who are suspected of playing supporting roles in the theft of the artefacts, which art experts believe would be impossible to sell.
Dutch prosecutors believe the art treasures “have not been melted down and that the main suspects, particularly the 36-year-old, still have control over them”, the prosecution service said in a statement.
A trial is expected to begin in about a year.
