Antiquities Thefts Strike Egypt and Cardiff

A targeted overnight burglary at St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff saw two suspects force entry and steal Bronze Age gold jewellery. In Cairo, a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet of Pharaoh Amenemope was taken from a locked safe by a restoration specialist, passed through dealers, sold for only a few thousand dollars and ultimately melted down; Egyptian authorities have arrested four suspects and seized cash. Days later at the Saqqara Necropolis officials discovered a rare 4,000-year-old limestone relief—a painted wall panel cut from a sealed Fifth Dynasty tomb with an electric saw—had been removed. Egyptian museums and ministries have formed archaeological committees, referred the cases to the Public Prosecution and pledged investigations, warning the incidents—coming ahead of the Grand Egyptian Museum opening—threaten the nation’s cultural heritage.