The British Museum says it is partially closed after a sacked employee switched off IT systems – The National

The British Museum, the country’s most popular tourist attraction, was partially closed to the public on Saturday after a fired employee broke into and shut down computer systems, museum management said.

The central London museum, which attracts nearly 6 million visitors a year, closed its temporary exhibitions and part of its permanent collection after Thursday’s alleged attack.

“An IT contractor who was fired last week broke into the museum and shut down several of our systems,” the museum said in a statement Friday. “The police came and he was arrested at the scene.

“We are working hard to get the museum fully operational again but unfortunately our temporary exhibitions are closed today and will remain so for the weekend – ticket holders have been warned and a refund has been offered.”

The Metropolitan Police Force said officers were called on Thursday evening “to reports that a man had entered the British Museum and damaged the museum’s security and IT systems”. A man in his 50s was said to have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage. He was released on bail pending an investigation.

The 266-year-old museum has had a few bad years. He is still trying to track down some of the more than 1,800 items believed to have been stolen by the former curator and offered for sale online. Peter Higgs, who worked in the museum’s Greece and Rome department for 30 years, was fired in July 2023 and is being sued by the museum. He denies the allegations.

Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigned in August 2023, admitting that the institution’s management ignored warnings that artifacts, including gold jewelry, semi-precious stones and antiquities dating back to the 15th century BC, were being stolen from his collection and sold on eBay.

The museum, packed with treasures from around the world, is also facing increasing pressure to return artefacts taken from other countries during the period of the British Empire – notably the Parthenon Marbles, 2,500-year-old sculptures that were removed from Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin.

Greece has been campaigning for the return of the marble for decades. The British Museum is barred by law from returning the sculptures to Greece, but its leaders have discussed a compromise with Greek officials, such as a long-term loan.

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