THE HAGUE (AFP): Dutch police on Wednesday arrested three men in connection with a brazen heist of ancient Romanian artifacts at a museum in the northeastern Netherlands after an intensive four-day hunt.
The break-in on Saturday, in which the thieves used explosives to get into the Drents Museum in Assen, has angered Romania and prompted Dutch police to scramble to track down the culprits.
The treasures were on loan from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest, and the incident cost the director his job.
“The suspects are held under strict conditions and are being questioned about their role in the heist,” Dutch police said in a statement, adding, “Further arrests are not being excluded.”
The stolen artifacts have not yet been recovered, said the Drents Museum.
The thieves stole four important Romanian artifacts, including the approximately 2,500-year-old golden Helmet of Cotofenesti, a famous piece from the Dacian civilization.
Three gold bracelets dating from around 50 B.C. were also taken.
The pieces were of “special cultural and symbolic importance,” and their disappearance created great anguish in Romania, Bucharest’s Foreign Affairs minister Emil Hurezeanu said.
Dutch police launched a large-scale probe into the heist, and earlier Wednesday released a photograph of another suspect wanted in connection with the case.
The Drents Museum welcomed the arrests, which were made in the small northwest Dutch city of Heerhugowaard, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Amsterdam.
“The safe return of the artifacts would be a fantastic next step for all involved,” the museum said in a statement.
“Not only for us but also for the Romanian people,” it said.
Well-known Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told Agence France-Presse – (AFP) that due to the short time in which police tracked down the suspects, “There is a good chance that the pieces may still be intact.”
Dutch museums and galleries have been targeted by thieves in the past – including in November when works by artist Andy Warhol were taken, as well as a Van Gogh stolen from a museum in 2020.
The heists have prompted calls for better security to protect valuable artworks.
