A group of thieves stole a ‘priceless’ 2,400-year-old gold helmet after blasting their way into a Dutch history museum, it has emerged.
The robbers entered the Drents Museum in Assen, a small city in the northeast, early Saturday morning after forcing the door open with explosives, police have said.
They snatched several ‘archaeological masterpieces’ from the facility, including the golden helmet of Cotofenesti and three bracelets traced back to ancient Romanian royalty.
Police received reports of a nearby car fire roughly 30 minutes after the explosion, which they believe could be connected to the heist.
No injuries were reported in the explosion, although the museum building was damaged and is closed for the weekend.
There is an increased police presence in the area and officers are on-site Sunday to conduct further investigations.
Officers have not yet arrested any suspects in connection to the case, but say they are focused on ‘tracking down both the suspects and the stolen masterpieces’.
Museum director Harry Tupan claims the institution has never seen ‘such a major incident’ in its 170-year history.
‘This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are intensely shocked,’ he said in a statement revealing that four artifacts had been stolen from the collection.
Among the stolen ‘masterpieces’ was the golden helmet of Cotofenesti, which dates back to roughly 450 BC.
The ‘priceless’ artefact is decorated with two large eyes in the front and is engraved with several mythological creatures.
The helmet was first discovered in a small Romanian village in 1927 by a young child. It has suffered damage after being used as a toy and then a water vessel for chickens.
The helmet of Cotofenesti has been depicted in multiple history books and was recreated in the 1960s for a Romanian film titled The Daicans.
The thieves also stole three golden bracelets that have been linked to Dacian royal figures. The museum says the bangles date back to approximately 50 BC.
Police received report of an explosion at the Drents Museum around 3.45am Saturday and discovered that four items had been stolen.
Around a half-hour later, officers were called to respond to a car fire at the intersection of Grolloërstraat and Marwijksoord with the N33, near Rolde. By the time they arrived at the site of the burning car, those involved had fled.
‘We assume that this car is linked to the explosion and the break-in at the museum,’ the force has said. ‘It is a possible scenario that suspicious persons in the vicinity of the fire transferred to another vehicle.’
Investigators are reviewing security footage and conducting a forensic examination at the museum. They have also called on Interpol to aid in the investigation.
Police have asked neighborhood residents to check their doorbell cameras and dashcams to see if they captured any suspicious activity between 3am and 4.30am.
Officials say this footage could provide ‘important information for the investigation into the explosion and the burglary’.
Assen Mayor Marco Out has condemned the crime, saying: ‘I am shocked. This is something you don’t want as a museum, but also as a city and province.’