Worthy Christian News > World News > Netherlands Detains Three After Romania Demands Return of Stolen Artifacts (Worthy News In-Depth)

Netherlands Detains Three After Romania Demands Return of Stolen Artifacts (Worthy News In-Depth)

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

AMSTERDAM/BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Dutch authorities have detained three suspects over the theft of priceless Romania artifacts from a small museum in the Netherlands, including an ancient golden helmet, after Romania threatened with legal action.

There was no sign that the 2,500-year-old ceremonial helmet and three Dacian bracelets, all gold, dating around 50 B.C. had been recovered.

The theft sent shockwaves through the global art world and devastated Romanian authorities who said they believed they were loaning the items to a nation where security for museums was important.

Dutch police announced in a statement that three suspected art robbers were being interrogated and “more arrests are not excluded.”

They did not elaborate but earlier police officials said at least three suspects in the high-profile robbery are believed to be from the Dutch province of North Holland.

It came after Romania demanded the immediate return of the stolen golden artifacts taken in a daring heist at the Drents Museum.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu vowed to seek “unprecedented compensation” from the Dutch government for the loss and considered a reward for information leading to the recovery of the ancient Dacian treasures.

OFFERING REWARD

On Monday, a Dutch businessman in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, told the Dutch daily De Telegraaf (The Telegraph) that he is offering a 100,000 euro ($104,000) reward “for the tip that cracks the case.”

They masterpieces were stolen on the night of January 24-25 from the ‘Dacia—Empire of Gold and Silver’ exhibition hosted by the Drents Museum in the in the northeastern city of Assen, the capital of the Dutch province of Drenthe. The exhibition included around 673 archaeological objects made of precious metals.

Investigators said they recovered two large hammers and a crowbar near the museum—tools allegedly used by the suspects to smash their way inside.

The thieves also detonated an explosive device to gain entry, according to police.

Authorities are now in pursuit of three or possibly four suspects. Police have confirmed the gang used two vehicles, including a Ford Transit van, as part of their getaway.

A dark gray Volkswagen Golf also used in the heist was discovered torched under a viaduct, investigators said.

The heist has sparked outrage in Romania, where the stolen artifacts are considered national treasures.

PRECIOUS HELMET

Of the four stolen pieces, the solid gold headpiece known as the Helmet of Cotofenesti is viewed as particularly previous for its exceptional artistry and craftsmanship, experts say.

Remarkably well preserved, “save for a missing part of the skull cap,” the helmet features intricate designs that reveal a fusion of cultural and religious influences, according to art critics.

It depicts a range of mythical creatures, and on either cheek piece, it bears an illustration of a ram being sacrificed by a man who kneels on the animal’s back, appearing poised to slit its throat with a short knife. The helmet’s eyes were crafted “to protect the wearer from evil.”

The helmet weighs almost 2.2 pounds(nearly 1 kilogram). Children reportedly stumbled upon it in the late 1920s while playing on a hillside in the village of Poiana Cotofenesti, now Varbilau, after rains washed away the soil underneath the object.

Archaeologists who later examined the artifact concluded it had been a stray find from a group of Thracian tribes that existed during the Iron Age.

The helmet’s fame and dramatic studded appearance means it could never be quickly sold, raising fears that the thieves were after the gold.

“It is simply unsellable. The whole world knows it. So, they likely went for the gold to — I almost dare not utter the words — melt it,” warned Dutch art expert Arthur Brand.

REDUCING TREASURE

That would reduce the treasure to a fraction of its cultural and historical value. Gold is about 85,000 euros ($89,000) per kilo, and the helmet is estimated to weigh slightly less than that.

The theft of archaeological masterpieces lent by the Romanian National History Museum (MNIR) to the Drents Museum in the Netherlands prompted heated debates and controversies in Romania.

Romania’s nationalist opposition politicians questioned why artifacts of such value were sent to “a relatively minor Dutch museum” without proper insurance.

The Romanian ancient masterpieces collection is valued at 30 million euros ($31.3 million), including 5.8 million euros ($6 million) for the stolen items.

Yet the Dutch Drents Museum has been accused of taking insufficient security measures.

Museum director Harry Tupan countered that the Drents Museum met the safety requirements agreed with the insurer.

He declined to say what the conditions were.

SECURITY CONCERNS

When asked whether there should not have been a guard present at night, Tupan replied there were other facilities “that could raise the alarm faster than a guard.”

Tupan didn’t elaborate on what these meassuras were.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said the artifacts have “exceptional cultural and historical importance” for Romanian heritage and identity and that their disappearance had “a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society.”

Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, the director of Romania’s National History Museum, said it was a heist that “even in our most pessimistic dreams, we would not have believed possible.”

Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu called the theft a “crime against our state” and added that recovering the artifacts “is an absolute priority.”

Romanian journalist Claudia Marcu, who visited the exhibit earlier this month, understands the emotions surrounding the theft saying: “This is more than just a theft, it is a wound to the Romanian community. For Romanians, this is like the theft of [Rembrandt painting] ‘The Night Watch’ for the Dutch. It’s devastating.”