Thieves have stolen several key artifacts from an exhibition of gold from the ancient kingdom of Dacia at the Drents Museum in Assen, after setting of explosives outside the building.
Among the stolen items is the golden helmet of Cotofenesti, crafted from almost pure gold, along with three gold arm bands.
The heist occurred early Saturday morning, around 3:45 in the morning, when an explosion shattered windows and caused damage to the museum buildings. Police say several people were involved in what appears to have been a meticulously planned operation.
Interpol has now been called in to assist with the investigation.
Security footage captured several suspects in action, and a burned-out car, believed to have been used by the thieves, was discovered roughly 30 minutes after the explosion.
The police are appealing for eyewitnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Museum chief Harry Tupan said it is a dark day for both the Assen museum and the National History Museum in Bucharest, which had lent the pieces. “Nothing like this has ever happened in our 170 year history,” he said in a statement.
Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, the Romanian museum director, said that he hopes the items will be brought back safely. “That is my only hope,” he told broadcaster NOS. “they are so important it will be impossible to sell them.”
The exhibition, Dacia – Realm of Gold and Silver, featured more than 50 artifacts from the pre-Roman kingdom and was set to close on Sunday.
Art detective Arthur Brand, known for his work recovering stolen art, called the theft “a horror.”
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