26.01.2025 19:30
In a robbery using explosives at the Drents Museum in the city of Assen, Netherlands, a 2,500-year-old pure gold helmet and other historical artifacts were stolen. Following the incident, an investigation was launched into the suspects' escape.
A robbery occurred yesterday at the Drents Museum in the city of Assen, located in the north of the Netherlands, that was reminiscent of a movie. The Dutch police reported that they received a tip-off about an explosion at the museum around 03:45 local time, stating that the thieves blew up the museum door with explosives.
THEY STOLE A 2500-YEAR-OLD HELMET
Three suspects who entered the museum broke the display cases containing historical artifacts and stole a 2500-year-old pure gold helmet borrowed from the National Museum of Romanian History for an exhibition related to the Dacian Kingdom, as well as gold royal bracelets from the Dacian period dating back to 50 BC. The stolen bracelets were among the historical artifacts that were looted from Dacian-era remains in Romania in the 1990s and later recovered by authorities after being sold on the black market.
About 30 minutes after the incident, a burned vehicle was found near the N33 highway, 7 kilometers from the museum. Authorities believe that this vehicle was used by the suspects as a means of escape and that they switched to another vehicle at that point.
"OUR MUSEUM HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH AN EVENT IN ITS 170-YEAR HISTORY"
Harry Tupan, the General Director of the Drents Museum, stated, "This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. Our museum has never experienced such an event in its 170-year history."
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof assured him that all necessary steps were being taken to identify the suspects and recover the stolen artifacts. It was noted that there were no injuries from the explosion in the museum building and that no one has been arrested yet.
While the Dutch police included Interpol in the investigation, authorities requested assistance from anyone with information about the suspects and the stolen artifacts.
There were 600 gold and silver artifacts from the Dacian Kingdom, which ruled over present-day Romanian territory more than two thousand years ago, on loan from 15 museums across Romania.