Robbers used explosives to force open a door at a Dutch museum early Saturday morning, stealing several golden masterpieces, museum officials said in a statement.
The police received a report of an explosion at the Drents Museum in Assen at 3:45 a.m. local time on Saturday. Upon arrival, the officers found that the museum had been damaged and that the golden masterpieces were missing.
Thieves stole a golden Coțofenești helmet on loan from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest and three Dacian royal bracelets. The artifacts were on display at the “Dacia – Empire of Gold and Silver” exhibition, the museum announced.
“This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are very shocked by last night’s events in the museum. In its 170 years of existence, there has never been such a big incident,” said Harry Tupan, General Director of the Drents Museum. .
Dutch police
The museum said it would be closed over the weekend while police investigated.
No injuries have been reported, and so far no arrests have been made. The authorities suspect that more people are involved, The Dutch police stated in a statement.
Police said they received a report of the car fire around 4:15 a.m., but no one was inside the burning vehicle. Authorities suspect the car may be connected to the explosion and burglary at the museum. The suspects moved to another vehicle near the fire, police said.
Police have asked for help from residents near the museum who may have footage from the doorbell camera or surveillance camera between 3:00 and 4:30 a.m., and asked people who may have seen anything unusual at the Drents Museum in recent days to contact the police .
This is a developing story. Check again for updates.
