Three folks have been arrested in reference to a brazen heist at a museum within the Netherlands over the weekend through which thieves stole historical artifacts, together with a prized golden helmet on mortgage from Romania, the authorities stated on Wednesday.
The three folks had been arrested in Heerhugowaard, a metropolis about 30 miles north of Amsterdam and greater than 100 miles west of the Drents Museum in Assen, the place the theft passed off. The police recognized two of them as Douglas Chesley Wendersteyt and Bernhard Zeeman, each from Heerhugowaard. The police recognized the third one who was arrested as a girl, additionally from the identical metropolis, however didn’t launch her identify.
The police stated that that they had searched houses in Heerhugowaard, however that the stolen items had not been discovered. The authorities stated they had been additionally searching for a fourth particular person in reference to the theft. They launched three surveillance pictures of a person sporting glasses and a darkish shirt and ball cap that they stated had been taken at a ironmongery shop in Assen.
“That is an absolute precedence of the police and the general public prosecutor,” the police stated in an announcement.
Early Saturday morning, thieves blew up a heavy entry door to get into the Drents Museum. Grainy footage from a surveillance digicam confirmed three hooded figures tugging on the door earlier than an explosion and a flurry of sparks. The authorities stated it was a part of an elaborate effort to interrupt into the artwork and historical past museum and steal a few of its treasures.
Among the many artifacts that had been taken, the authorities stated, had been three golden bracelets and the helmet of Cotofenesti, an elaborately adorned solid-gold headpiece from the fifth century B.C. The helmet, which weighs a bit over two kilos, options massive studs throughout its prime and depicts numerous scenes, together with somebody sacrificing a lamb.
The helmet, which is well-known in Romania and is believed to have been utilized in ceremonies, dates to the time of the traditional Dacians, who inhabited components of the Balkan area. It was amongst a number of golden artifacts that had been being proven as a part of a touring exhibition from the Nationwide Historical past Museum of Romania. The gadgets had been on show on the Drents Museum since July 2024.
The authorities declined to connect a financial determine to the stolen items. Romanian officers have stated their worth to Romania’s tradition was “incalculable.”
After the heist, Harry Tupan, the director of the Drents Museum, stated in an announcement that it was a “a darkish day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the Nationwide Historical past Museum of Romania in Bucharest.”
“We’re intensely shocked by the occasions final night time on the museum,” he stated. “In its 170-year existence, there has by no means been such a serious incident.”
Romania’s tradition minister stated the final director of the Nationwide Historical past Museum had been fired after he refused to resign, in line with stories within the Romanian media.
The Dutch police stated of their assertion that their investigation, digicam footage and suggestions submitted by the general public had led to the arrests. In addition they recovered a bag of garments in Assen, the place the heist passed off.
The Drents Museum stated in an announcement on Wednesday that it was “more than happy with the hopeful information relating to the arrests.”
“The protected return of the stolen artifacts can be a improbable subsequent step for all concerned,” it stated. “Not just for us, however particularly for the Romanian folks.”
