Stolen Art Watch, Return O'Toole's Heart For Forgiveness, Absolution & Cash Reward

'Substantial' reward on offer for return of relic

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/substantial-reward-on-offer-for-return-of-relic-3046342.html

A "substantial" reward is to be offered for information leading to the return of the missing heart of Dublin's patron, Laurence O'Toole, stolen a week ago from Christ Church Cathedral.

Gardai are now trying to track down two men, who may be foreign nationals, who visited the cathedral last Saturday morning. The men were wearing hats and avoided looking at CCTV cameras.

When they were asked to remove their hats they refused to do so, while one of them carried a backpack, garda sources said yesterday.

The men were in the cathedral between 10.30am and midday -- when gardai believe the theft of the ancient relic took place. Gardai have been busy studying CCTV images from the cathedral itself and from surrounding businesses, shops and pubs.

When the men left the cathedral, one of them was carrying his backpack at knee-height and they were later seen running away from the building.

Gardai said they were enhancing video images of suspects and wanted to interview the men.

It is also likely that the thieves visited the cathedral previously to check out the security arrangements, as the heart was stolen from an iron-barred cage.

"The men on the camera footage could be crucial to our investigation and, at this stage, we are anxious to identify them, if only to eliminate them from our inquiries," one officer said.

More information on the reward and how it would be collected is expected to be released this week. But both cathedral staff and gardai are still puzzled by the motive for the crime.

'Relic hunter' may be behind theft of heart

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/relic-hunter-may-be-behind-theft-of-heart-3045812.html

GARDAI investigating the theft of the preserved heart of Dublin's patron saint are enhancing video images of a number of potential suspects.

Church officials now fear a "relic hunter" may be behind the theft of the heart of St Laurence O'Toole from Christ Church Cathedral last weekend.

And there are suggestions the same person may be responsible for last year's theft of the True Cross from the Holy Cross Abbey in Co Tipperary as well as the attempted theft of a relic of St Brigid from a church in Dublin.

Christ Church Cathedral spokeswoman Nuala Kavanagh said there were fears high-profile relics -- such as the head of St Oliver Plunkett which is encased in glass at St Peter's Church in Drogheda, Co Louth -- could also be targeted.

"The dean believes that these are being stolen to order," she told the Irish Independent.

Although there is no monetary value on the preserved heart, it would be of great value to collectors.

"It's black and it's weird and it's eerie," she said.

The video images being enhanced by gardai were collected from an extensive trawl of footage from CCTV cameras in the area last weekend. Senior garda officers are now satisfied that the preserved heart was stolen from an iron-barred cage in St Laud's chapel, some time between 10.30am and midday last Saturday.

They have ruled out earlier suggestions that the thief, or thieves, might have stayed overnight on Friday in the cathedral.

"The men on the camera footage could be crucial to our investigation and, at this stage, we are anxious to identify them, if only to eliminate them from our inquiries," one officer said last night.

Mystery

But the motive for the theft remains a mystery. Valuable chalices and candlesticks were ignored and nothing else was missing, gardai said.

The relic was kept in a wooden, heart-shaped container, sealed within the small cage and the old bars were prised open for the robbery.

The Catholic and Protestant Archbishops of Dublin joined forces with the capital's lord mayor yesterday to launch an appeal for the return of the heart.

Catholic Archbishop and Primate of Ireland, Dr Diarmuid Martin, said St Laurence O'Toole was the principal patron of the diocese and his relic was venerated there.

He described the relic as the spiritual heart of the city, which belonged to the people of Dublin and the wider Christian community.

Both Catholic and Protestant churches had stepped up security, Ms Kavanagh confirmed.

"We need to be really careful. There's now a call on all institutions for increased security," she said.

Some churches already have security cameras in place, while others have permanent web cameras in place for live streaming of Mass.

The recent spate of relic thefts, which featured in an article this week in the 'New York Times' has made headlines around the world.

The Church of Ireland Archbishop Dr Michael Jackson said the theft had caused shock and distress -- not only in Dublin but worldwide.

"We've been inundated with calls," said Ms Kavanagh. "There is worldwide outrage."

"What we really long to see is the return of the relic, discreetly, so that it may again take its time-honoured place in the cathedral for everyone to see and use in the context of their own tradition and spirituality," Dr Jackson added.

Lord Mayor Andrew Montague said the relic belonged to the city of Dublin and it was important that it was returned to its rightful place.

Inniskillings Regimental Museum burglary - two charged

Two men have appeared in court charged with burglary and theft from a museum in Enniskillen.

James Carlin, 32, from John St, Belfast, and Carlo Holmes, 56, from Clonard Court, Belfast, appeared before Omagh Magistrates Court on Thursday.

They are accused of stealing six helmet badges from the Inniskillings Regimental Museum at Enniskillen Castle on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Holmes was also charged with assaulting a police officer.

A detective told the court that police found medals and a hammer being carried by Mr Holmes who had tried to disguise his appearance wearing a trench coat, scarf and tweed hat.

A third person arrested in a taxi some distance from the museum has been released on police bail.

The magistrate remanded both men in custody until 26 March.

Stolen Art Watch, Hot Art Is Coming, As "Headache Art" Goa See's Indian "Knocker Boys "Arrested In Mumbai

Six arrested for bid to burgle Goa museum

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Six-arrested-for-bid-to-burgle-Goa-museum/articleshow/12203366.cms

MUMBAI: The police arrested six men who had planned to steal antiques from an archaeological museum in Goa.

The accused had clicked photographs of the furniture in the museum using their cellphones and showed it to prospective buyers in Mumbai. The western region special squad arrested five accused-Krishna Ray (24), Bholanath Prajapati (23), Majid Khan (25), Amjad Qureshi (28) and Rahul Vaisha (22)-when in Khar where they planned a burglary on Wednesday. Two firearms and bullets have been recovered from the accused.

The gang leader, Sher Ali Khan (28), was arrested on March 8. The accused confessed that they had stolen antiques from bungalows in Goa since the last few years and sold them in Mumbai.

Sher Ali's relative owned a furniture shop in Oshiwara, where the antiques would be spruced up before they were sold off. When the gang visited Goa they would check in at hotels and conduct a recce of old bungalows, for which they would hire bikes locally.

The accused would home in on large bungalows that had been locked. After they gathered information on the furniture, they would commit the burglary at night, the police said. "They may have some accomplices in Goa who helped them commit the burglary. The accused stored the stolen goods at a temporary location in Goa before transporting it to Mumbai," said a senior police officer.

"The accused got a good price for old furniture in the city. Recently, they had sold a table for Rs 1.5 lakh to a shopkeeper," he added.

The police are trying to find out about the burglaries that the gang committed in Mumbai and Goa. "We have asked the Goa police about cases where furniture and fixtures have been stolen," said a police officer.

Goa police are in touch with Mumbai police to verify if the arrested accused were involved in Goa's biggest robbery, in which antique items valued at crores of rupees was stolen from the Museum of Christian Art on January 25. The museum's security guard was also killed during the robbery.

Hot Art By Joshua Knelman released Tuesday March 13th 2012:

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Art-Chasing-Thieves-Detectives/dp/1935639382

http://www.tinhouse.com/books/non-fiction/hot-art.html

Stolen Art Watch, Rome Art Cops Strike, Rubens Recovered

Stolen painting recovered in Rome 40 years after art heist

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/mar/09/stolen-paintings-rome-art-heist?newsfeed=true

Italian police find stolen paintings hanging in a house in the same district of Rome from where 42 works disappeared

It was one of the most audacious art thefts seen in Rome: one night in 1971 a gang of thieves slipped into the plush residence of a construction magnate in the upmarket Parioli neighbourhood and walked out with 42 rare paintings, including works by Van Dyck and Poussin.

Detectives soon concluded that the culprits were not members of the mafia, but beyond that, there were few concrete clues, and within days the trail had gone cold.

Now, four decades on, Italian police have recovered some of the stolen paintings from a house in the same district of the country's capital, where they were hanging proudly on the walls. As well as a Van Dyck portrait of a cavalier and a Poussin depiction of the baptism of Christ, the haul contains a Christ on the cross attributed to Rubens, now being verified by experts.

Italian painters Berlinghieri and Guido Reni are also included in the collection, which was described as an exceptional find by Rossella Vodret, an expert from the Italian culture ministry.

The original owner has long since died, but his son and daughter – now adults – were called in to identify the paintings, which they had last seen as young children – and which today are worth around €7.5m (£6.3m).

"When they saw them, they almost fainted," said Colonel Raffaele Mancino, a member of a 300-strong unit of the carabinieri military police which investigates the theft of art and artefacts.

Mancino said the trail to the stolen works – and his unit's biggest seizure in recent years – was discovered when an officer spotted four of the paintings in an auction catalogue and cross-checked them with his database of stolen paintings. Police traced the owner – a 50-year-old woman – and found the four paintings, as well as seven others, hanging in her home.

"She and her husband bought them on the clandestine market 20 years ago and she must have known they were stolen," he said. The woman, who decided to sell the paintings after the recent death of her husband, is now accused of receiving stolen goods.

"She forgot to mention to us she had another house outside Rome, which we checked and found another 26 stolen paintings stacked up, meaning just five are still missing," said Mancino. "This shows we don't give up, even after 41 years."

The identity of the original thieves remains a mystery, and Mancino said such daring thefts were now rare. Instead of gentleman thieves and cunning cat burglars, experts believe the business is now dominated by organised criminal gangs.

"It is a misnomer to see it as an elite crime, since it may trickle down into drugs and weapons," said MaryKate Cleary, a research manager at the London-based Art Loss Register.

Art theft is the third highest grossing criminal business after drugs and weapons, and only about 10% of stolen art is recovered. Traffickers tend to sell works on for 10% of their real value, but gangs often use paintings as collateral in big drug trades owing to the difficulty of moving cash through banks without being traced. "The latest twist, which we have seen in the Balkans, is gangs using fakes of stolen paintings as collateral," said Cleary.

Mancino said the discovery of the 37 paintings in Rome ranked with some of the unit's biggest busts, including the seizure of 10 paintings dating from the 16th century worth €4m that were stolen from the Italian state in 2004.

"We found them in a camper van in Rome where they had been packed in newspaper ready to be driven out of the country," said Mancino. "The driver was asleep."

Not all thefts are undertaken by cross-border criminal gangs, said Mancino, particularly archaeological treasures robbed from digs.

"We have found sarcophagi being used as flower pots, an item from an Etruscan funeral rite being used as a cat's dish and a Roman inscription on marble propping open a window," he said.

Italy: Rubens among 37 art works recovered 41 yrs after heist

The oil paintings, worth an estimated £6 million (7.5 million euros), were stolen in 1971 from the house of a wealthy businessman in Rome but rediscovered when police recently raided two homes in the capital owned by a 50-year-old woman.

They were alerted to the whereabouts of the paintings when the woman decided to put four of them up for auction.

Photographs of the works were published in an auction house catalogue, with the sale due to have gone ahead last month.

The woman and her husband allegedly bought the works 20 years ago and have been charged with receiving stolen goods.

The paintings include Portrait of a Knight by Van Dyck, Christ on the Cross by Rubens and The Baptism of Christ by Nicolas Poussin, a 17th century French artist who spent most of his working life in Rome.

Lesser known works include an exquisite painting of the Madonna and Child by the 13th century artist Berlinghiero Berlinghieri, who came from Lucca in Tuscany, and a work by a student of Caravaggio.

Two of the masterpieces may have been painted by Rubens and El Greco, although the attributions are yet to be confirmed.

"Rarely does one recover such a large quantity of works of such artistic importance," said Rossella Vodret, an expert from the ministry of culture.

Five other art works, which were stolen at the same time, are still unaccounted for.

Rome, 8 March - Italian art police in Rome on Thursday recovered 37 paintings including works by Flemish Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin of France, more than 40 years after they were stolen from a businessman in Rome.

Police said the art produced between the 13th and 19th centuries is worth 7.5 million euros. Five paintings from the theft are still missing.

"It's one of the most important Italian art recoveries in the last two or three years," said Raffaele Mancino, who headed the operation.

The recovered booty included work by Italian artist Guido Reni and Flemish Antoon Van Dyck, both 17th century Baroque painters.

The stolen art came to the attention of police after some of the pieces were spotted in a catalogue published for an upcoming auction. They were to put up for sale by a women identified as M.F.

The owner at the time of the 1971 robbery has since died and the art will pass to his heirs.

Police are still trying to track down the remaining five works.

Stolen Art Watch, Pink Panthers Godfather Arrested As Serbia About To Become EU Member

Pink Panther gang member arrested

A member of a gang of notorious jewel thieves nicknamed the Pink Panthers has been arrested in Italy.

The gang, made up of ex-soldiers from the Balkans, is believed to have carried out dozens of robberies and raids around the world, most recently in February on an upmarket jewellery shop near Rome's famed Spanish Steps, a popular tourist haunt.

Mitar Marianovic, 60, a Montenegrin of Serbian background, was arrested after police allegedly found his fingerprints on a plastic bag left behind during the lightning raid.

Mitar was allegedly the organiser of the robbery, in which the gang stole 1.5 million euros' worth of jewellery from the Roberto Coin jewellery boutique in the Italian capital's Via Vittoria.

They pulled out weapons, threatened staff and managed to escape with their haul within just a few minutes.

Italian police are hunting the two other men who took part in the heist, who are still at large.

Nicknamed the Pink Panthers because of their habit of targeting jewellers, and wanted by Interpol, the gang is believed to consist of ex-soldiers from the former Yugoslavia, who fought in the wars of the 1990s.

They are believed to have been responsible for dozens of robberies around the world, including a raid in Dubai in 2008 which they smashed two cars into the windows of a jewellery shop, making off with jewellery and designer watches.

The gang is also suspected of having been behind around 120 robberies in Britain, Germany, Monaco, Spain, France, Japan and Luxembourg, stealing jewellery worth up to £150 million.

During a raid in St Tropez in the south of France in 2005, they dressed up as tourists in shorts and Hawaiian-style shirts and then fled the scene in a powerful speedboat.

The gang was suspected of being behind a raid in the French Riviera resort of Cannes in November last year in which a jeweller was fatally shot.

He was killed with a single bullet to the head, as the gang smashed display cabinets with baseball bats.

The robbers, armed with Kalashnikovs, escaped on motorbikes, wearing helmets and masks.

A raid on two casinos in the south of France in April last year was also blamed on the Pink Panthers.

A senior French investigator said the raids bore all the hallmarks of the gang – "swift, meticulously planned, brutally efficient and (with the use of) heavy weapons".

The Pink Panthers earned their nickname in 1993 after stealing a £500,000 diamond from a jewellers in Mayfair and hiding it in a jar of face cream – a trick copied from the 1963 film starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

Stolen Art Watch, U-Haul, U-Sleepover, U-Lose Antique Heirlooms

U-Haul Truck & Trailer Of Antiques Reported Stolen In Columbia, S.C.

Many antique items were taken when a U-Haul truck and trailer were stolen around 3:30 am on February 17 from a motel parking lot.

The items were family heirlooms, not intended to be resold but rather were being moved from Dallas, Texas, to the owners' now restored historic 1728 Cape Cod house in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.

According to the police report, the thieves forced entry into the vehicle, a late model white and orange U-Haul truck and trailer, and removed it from the Comfort Inn parking lot. Broken glass at the scene indicated that the thieves had busted out the passenger side window. The break-in was recorded on surveillance video, and the police later recovered the vehicle and trailer in Hopkins, S.C. The vehicle, however, appeared to be rummaged through and items were missing.

Valued at $200,000, the stolen items are too numerous to list in total, but highlights include Tiffany blown glass beer tankards; a three-drawer mahogany chest of drawers, circa 1900–20, with brass fittings; an antique six-drawer mahogany, bowfront high chest with original brass fittings; a mahogany single-drawer writing desk, bowfront with cabriole legs; pair of French antique sofas with rolled arms, hardwood frames, down filled cushions with silk stripped upholstery; pair of coral wool upholstered chairs, down seat cushions, carved wood frame and carved feet; and a pair of antique mahogany commodes with coral color marble tops, carved drop door fronts, 36 by 12 by 14 inches.

A complete set of sterling silver in wood box, setting for 12, plus accessory serving pieces, in the Francis I pattern; an English oil portrait painting depicting a lord in red robe, gold leaf gilt frame, 40 by 60 inches; an antique oil painting still life of fruit and bowl in a gilt frame, 3 by 4 feet; an oil painting featuring Hudson River-style landscape, 3 by 2 feet; antique glass fruit bowl, nut and candy dishes; and a round cast bronze pedestal bowl with heavily detailed figures on surface, approximately 12 inches tall, were also among the items reported stolen.

Anyone having information about any of these stolen items is asked to contact Detective Davis Goff of the Richland County Sherriff's Department at 803-576-3071 or email dgoff@rcsd.net . The case number is 1202011717.

Stolen Art Watch, Lord Nelson Ring Theft, Security Review Re-active Instead Of Pro-active

Nelson artefacts theft sparks Norwich Castle security review

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/nelson_artefacts_theft_sparks_norwich_castle_security_review_1_1227982

A review of security has been ordered at Norwich Castle after valuable artefacts connected to Lord Nelson were snatched in the second raid on the museum in a week.

Historic items connected to the Norfolk naval hero, worth more than £36,000, were stolen on Saturday, February 25, after an attempt was made to snatch a rhino horn five days earlier.

The items stolen included a £25,000 mourning ring and a £10,000 saucer from an 1802 tea service which was part of the inventory at Lord Nelson’s home.

The county councillor whose portfolio covers the museum service this morning spoke of his shock at the theft and said measures were being taken to ensure such a crime does not happen again.

The national security advisor for the Arts Council has been asked to carry out a full security review at the castle museum.
James Carswell, cabinet member for cultural services, said: “Clearly, as these were Nelson artefacts, I know the people of Norfolk will be angry.

“I was in complete shock when I was advised and found out about this. I have spoken to the director and the heads of the service and asked for a strategic review to look at processes and why this happened.

“As a service, we are incredibly sorry this has happened. The individual who stole these items has no respect for this county.

“We are sorry this has happened and will do everything we can to make sure this never happens again.”

The theft was discovered by an off-duty police officer who was visiting the museum.

He noticed a display cabinet appeared to be insecure and it was then that staff realised that items had been taken.

The ring, which dates between 1803 and 1806, is enamelled and bears the letters N and B. It was in a box dated 1805.

Two bronze medals, worth £400 each, were also taken. One commemorates the Battle of the Nile on August 1 1798 while the other marks the death of Lord Nelson and is dated 1805.

A stolen gilt metal box containing four medallions commemorating the victories of various admirals has been collectively valued at £1,000.

Police are trawling through CCTV footage from the museum, which they hope will help with their investigation.

Five days before the theft, four people tried to snatch a rhino head from the museum, but were foiled by a curator who grabbed it back.

The raiders, all wearing dark coloured clothing, were believed to have escaped in a dark-coloured hatchback parked outside the castle which was driven by a fifth person.

Thieves target Norwich Castle again – and get away with Nelson artefacts

Valuable Nelson artefacts worth more than £36,000 were stolen from Norwich Castle in the second attack on the museum in the same week.

The historic items, including a £25,000 mourning ring and a £10,000 saucer from a 1802 tea service which was part of the inventory at Lord Nelson’s home, were all discovered missing from a cabinet at the attraction on Saturday February 25.

It followed an attempted theft of a rhino horn just five days before.

Vanessa Trevelyan, head of the museums service, said: “Last Saturday we discovered one of our display cases housing a number of Nelson artefacts had been broken in to and several pieces were found to be missing. We informed Norfolk Constabulary who are investigating the theft.

“We wanted to carry out a thorough investigation before going public to determine exactly what had happened but also to make absolutely sure nothing else had been taken from the museum. Of course enquiries were under-way during this time.”

Norfolk Police said the theft had been discovered at about 2pm on February 25. A spokesman said: “An off-duty police officer was visiting the museum last Saturday during the afternoon when he noticed that a display cabinet appeared insecure.

Police have got hold of CCTV footage from the museum which they hope will help with the investigation.

The ring, which dates between 1803 and 1806, is enamelled and bears the letters N and B. It was in a box dated 1805.

Two bronze medals, worth £400 each, where also taken. One commemorates the Battle of the Nile on August 1 1798 while the other marks the death of Lord Nelson and is dated 1805.

A stolen gilt metal box containing four medallions commemorating the victories of various admirals has been collectively valued at £1,000.

County councillor George Nobbs, a member of the Norwich area museums committee, said: “It’s hard to think of anything that’s more precious to the people of Norfolk that the museum service has than its Nelson artefacts.”

The Labour councillor criticised the county council for not releasing details of the theft and appealing for witnesses earlier.

And he said the theft proved a decision to get rid of the museum’s 20-strong interpretation team, which used to patrol the galleries answering visitor’s questions, had been “foolish and short-sighted”.

“Had the interpretation team not been got rid of there would have been less chance of this happening,” he said.

The councillor said he would be raising the issue “as a matter of urgency” at the next Norwich area museums committee meeting.

In the mean time, Ms Trevelyan said the museums service would continue to work closely with police.

She added: “This is obviously a serious incident and one which we are treating with the utmost gravity. A full review of security arrangements at the museum is being undertaken in the light of this theft and a recent attempted theft of a rhino horn from the museum.”

Stolen Art Watch, Dublin Saint O'Toole's Heart Ripped Out As Greek Police Hunt Museum Hauls

Serb Marko Arrested in Vienna

Thieves steal preserved heart of St Laurence O'Toole

THE 12th-Century preserved heart of of the patron saint of Dublin, St Laurence O'Toole, was stolen from Christ Church Cathedral yesterday.

Shocked staff at the cathedral discovered the theft yesterday and said they were "absolutely devastated".

Gardai are now hunting for the missing relic.

"It has been a major site of pilgrimage and a major tourist attraction," said Nuala Kavanagh, director of operations at the cathedral.

The heart -- which has been in the cathedral for 800 years -- was kept in a wooden container sealed within a small iron-barred case.

It is understood three security guards were on duty and CCTV footage was being examined by gardai last night.

Gardai said they believed the theft from Saint Laud's Chapel in Christ Church Cathedral happened sometime between Friday evening and 12.30pm yesterday.

The small iron-barred case was forced open by the thieves who left it behind and escaped with the saint's heart.

No alarms were activated and there was no sign of a break-in at the cathedral when it was opened at 9.30am yesterday.

Staff said they had never seen the heart, which is kept in the wooden heart-shaped container, which is itself sealed within the iron case.

The one-time archbishop St Laurence O'Toole, born Lorcan Ua Tuathail in Castledermot, County Kildare, in 1128 and who became known as Laurence O'Toole, died in November 1180 in Normandy, France.

Staff said O'Toole was known as an ascetic. He wore a hairshirt, never ate meat and fasted every Friday on bread and water.

When he entertained, his guests lacked for nothing while he coloured his water to look like wine so as not to spoil the feast. Each Lent he went to Glendalough where he lived in St Kevin's Cell, a sort of cave over the Upper Lake, for 40 days.

Due to the number of miracles that occurred at his tomb, he was canonised in 1225 by Pope Honorius III.

In 1442, his skull was brought back to Britain by Rowland Standish (a relative of Captain Myles Standish, the British military adviser to the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony arriving off the Mayflower) who fought at Agincourt. His bones were interred at the Parish Church of Chorley, now called the Church of St Laurence.

However, the bones disappeared in the Reformation under Henry VIII's rule.

His heart has been preserved in Christ Church Cathedral since the 13th Century and has been a major pilgrimage site since the medieval period.

The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral and the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, the Most Reverend Dermot Dunne, said: "I am devastated that one of the treasured artefacts of the cathedral is stolen.

"It has no economic value but it is a priceless treasure that links our present foundation with its founding father, St Laurence O'Toole."

Staff at the cathedral appealed to the thieves to return the relic.

Arrests Antiquities Smuggling Ring

Greek police investigating antiquities smuggling have arrested 35 people and recovered thousands of ancient coins and other artifacts.
One of the suspects was found with more than 4,000 coins in his possession.
Metal detectors were also found during the raids, which took place in northern and central Greece.
The country’s archaeological heritage means it has long been a target for illegal traders. Last month dozens of artifacts were stolen from a museum. Two masked men took more than 60 objects after overpowering a female guard at the site, dedicated to the history of the ancient Olympic Games in Olympia.
Those items, mostly bronze and clay statuettes, were of “incalculable” value, according to the town’s mayor.

Greece: Antiquities Safer in the Ground

After an antiquities theft ring was rounded up and stolen items recovered, exasperated officials are reburying treasures to keep them safe.

After a weekend in which an antiquities theft ring was rounded up and thousands of stolen items recovered, exasperated officials have decided to rebury the treasures to keep them safe.

Greek police arrested a gang of 35 thieves Saturday night, and recovered literally thousands of stolen items in the process. Reportedly one of the members of the gang alone had in his possession 4,000 ancient coins.

Some of the booty had been stolen from antiquities sites, a phenomenon that is sometimes also seen in the State of Israel although vigorously battled by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which along with Israel's Nature and Parks Authority works to prevent such thefts.

Others were traced to the robbery of the Greek Museum in Olympia on February 17.

Approximately 76 objects d'art were stolen in the armed robbery, including bronze, pottery and gold items, and a 3,200-year-old gold ring. The theft came on the heels of a similar robbery in January at the National Gallery in Athens that resulted in the loss of two paintings, a Picasso and a Mondrian.

The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have forced Greece into major spending cuts in return for loans to help it recover from a massive debt crisis, the worst the country has faced in decades.

Those cuts have been responsible for the breakdown in security, according to Illicit Cultural Property blogger Derek Fincham, an assistant professor at South Texas College of Law. He cited Yiannis Mavrikopoulos, head of the culture ministry museum and site guards' union, who said the cutbacks imposed by the EU and IMF had forced nearly half of the museum and cultural heritage staff to take early retirement, leaving inadequate security to guard the antiquities.

Greece meanwhile announced Friday that it would stop excavating some antiquities, and intends to rebury some items that have already been uncovered. “Mother Earth is the best protector of our antiquities,” Thessaloniki's Aristotelio University archaeology professor Michalis Tiverios told the Ta Nea daily newspaper.

“Let us leave our antiquities in the soil, to be found by archaeologists in 10,000 CE, when Greeks and their politicians will perhaps show more respect to their history,” he said.

It is unclear what effect such an action will have on the country's tourism industry, since much of the attraction of Greece is connected to its ancient history and to its display of the wealth of antiquities discovered beneath its soil.

Back-story:

From Feb 24th 2012

Police have detained a suspect in connection with the recent robbery at the Ancient Olympia museum.

Officers said they have detained a foreign national who they suspect was part of a group that raided jewellery shops in the area. Police believe this gang may have been involved in the museum heist as well.

The guard on duty at the museum at the time of the raid is due to inform police whether she recognizes the suspect.

Police studied seven minutes of CCTV footage before bringing the suspect in for questioning.

The thieves stole between 60 and 70 items from the museum.

Art Hostage Comments:

It was from the above arrest of a Croatian national Greek police got information that led to the current raids and recovery of said items.

Artworks seized in Vienna
http://www.vienna.at/kunstdieb-in-wien-gefasst/3184643

March 4, 2012
[Image: Cobra combines 41-year-old art thief in the 15th District.] Cobra summarizes
41-year-old art thief in the 15th District -. © apa / Federal

As part of a co-police action was a 41-year-old caught in Vienna
and several works of art can be ensured. Now, after the owners
sought.

The 41-year-old Serb, Marko G. was using European arrest warrant
sought after in January at a traffic stop in Milan by
Carabinieri had run over and killed this came from. Officials
Cobra discovered the suspect in his car at the Schoenbrunn
Street in the 15th District. After his arrest, was over
Investigate two works of art will be ensured in the suspect: A
Paintings and reliefs of unknown origin. "The value is not
quantifiable, "said a spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office.

There was a strong suspicion that he both works of art as part of a
Offense has taken it. You go from a theft, burglary or
Robbery in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland
from. The Federal Criminal Police Office now calls on to the appropriate instructions
Origin of art and of possible further offenses of
41-year-olds.

It's A Mitzvah! NY1 Viewer Helps Police Recover Stolen Synagogue Items

An astute NY1 viewer recognized a collection of religious items from a story the newschannel aired last week about a burglary at the Queens synagogue, and her tip led police to recover the artifacts. Borough Reporter Ruschell Boone filed the following report.

Devout NY1 viewer Janet Medina says it was a good thing she was watching the newschannel Tuesday morning when NY1 aired a story about religious artifacts stolen from a synagogue in Kew Gardens.

"I was like – 'Oh my God, I've seen those items," she recalled Friday.

Medina saw them last week when she was going though the inventory at the Gold Standard pawn shop in Forest Hills where she works. After seeing the story on NY1, Medina went to the store and called her boss.

"At that point I Googled the NY1 story and I saw it," explained Gold Standard operations director Scott Simon. "I pulled the items out of our inventory and checked them out against the pictures."

After recognizing some of the pieces, Simon immediately notified the police.

"One piece that was really clear that we had is called the Torah crown," he said. "It has a lot of detail work."

Armed with that information, investigators arrested Efram Sanders for stealing several items from Congregation Degel Israel between February 18th and the 25th. Sanders was charged with burglary, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

"He seemed like a regular nice Jewish man," Simon explained of his dealings with Sanders. "One of the questions that we always ask is, 'Do these items belong to you?' And his explanation was that he had inherited the items – that he got the items during his Bar Mitzvah."

Sanders was arraigned on Wednesday, with bail set at $20 thousand. He did not enter a plea, but he is due back in court on March 14.

As for the synagogue, members said they were happy to get their items back.

"I don't think that in their wildest dreams they thought they were ever going to see them again," said Simon.

However the folks at the Gold Standard may not get back the thousands of dollars they paid for the items.

"We'll try to take the appropriate measures to recoup some of the money," said Simon. "But the likelihood is that we'll take the loss on this one."

Nevertheless, they feel like winners for doing the right thing.