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A priceless golden 2,500-year-old helmet from Romania that was stolen past twelvemonth successful the Netherlands has been recovered, Dutch creation detective Arthur Brand told AFP connected Thursday.
"It's amazing. It's the champion quality we could person got," said Brand, confirming that the mislaid Helmet of Cotofenesti had been found.
Prosecutors are expected to marque an authoritative announcement aboriginal connected Thursday.
A pack of robbers utilized firework bombs to interruption into the Drents Museum successful the bluish Netherlands successful January 2025, and smashed show cases erstwhile inside.
They made disconnected with the 5th-century BC aureate Helmet of Cotofenesti and 3 golden bracelets.
A golden Coțofenești helmet from astir 450 BC was stolen from a Dutch museum, officials said.
Dutch Police
The theft and the hunt for the booty regularly makes header quality successful the Netherlands and sparked outrage successful Romania, wherever the items are considered nationalist treasures.
"This is simply a acheronian day," Harry Tupan, wide manager of the Drents Museum, said astatine the time. "In its 170-year existence, determination has ne'er been specified a large incident."
The Dutch authorities had acceptable speech 5.7 cardinal euros ($6.5 million) for a apt payout pursuing the brazen theft.
"Indiana Jones of the Art World"
Brand, nicknamed the "Indiana Jones of the Art World", has made headlines astir the globe for his high-profile recoveries of stolen pieces of art.
In July 2025, helium recovered a priceless trove of stolen documents from the 15th to the 19th century, including respective UNESCO-listed archives from the world's archetypal multinational corporation.
A fewer months earlier that, Brand helped Dutch constabulary ace the lawsuit of the mysterious disappearance of a Brueghel painting from a Polish depository implicit 50 years ago.
Brand's different accomplishments include returning a Vincent van Gogh painting to a depository successful 2023, much than 3 years aft it was stolen.
In 2022, helium returned a Roman statue that had been stolen from Musee du Pays Chatillonnais successful 1973. He besides recovered Salvador Dali's "Adolescence," a Picasso coating and "Hitler's Horses," sculptures that erstwhile stood extracurricular the Nazi leader's Berlin chancellery.
In 2017, the creation detective told CBS News that he's brokered deals with violent groups, the mafia and a slew of shady characters successful bid to way down pieces connected the achromatic market.
"On 1 manus you person the police, security companies, collectors, and connected the different manus you person the criminals, the creation thieves and the forgers," Brand said. "So determination are 2 antithetic benignant of worlds, and they bash not communicate. So I enactment myself successful the middle."
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