Thieves steal ancient Roman-era statues from Syria's national museum

Officials accidental thieves person breached into Syria's nationalist depository successful Damascus and stolen respective past statues from the Roman era

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Thieves broke into Syria 's nationalist depository and stole respective past statues dating backmost to the Roman era, officials said Tuesday.

The National Museum of Damascus was temporarily closed aft the heist was discovered aboriginal Monday. The depository reopened successful January arsenic the state reels from a 14-year civilian warfare and the autumn of the 54-year Assad household rule past year.

The country’s largest depository houses priceless antiquities. After the civilian warfare started successful March 2011, information was improved with metallic gates and surveillance cameras, and authorities moved hundreds of artifacts to Damascus from astir the country.

An authoritative from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums told The Associated Press that six marble statues were stolen, and an probe was ongoing.

Another authoritative told the AP that the theft occurred Sunday nighttime and was discovered erstwhile 1 of the doors astatine the classical section was recovered broken.

Both officials spoke connected information of anonymity successful enactment with regulations due to the fact that the authorities had not yet made a statement.

The constabulary main successful Damascus, Brig. Gen. Osama Atkeh, aboriginal told authorities quality bureau SANA that respective statues and uncommon collectibles were stolen from the museum. He said that guards determination and different individuals were being questioned.

An AP writer tried to participate the depository connected Tuesday and was told by guards that it was closed.

The conception of the depository wherever the statues were reported stolen is "a beauteous and historically affluent section with artifacts dating backmost to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,” said Maamoun Abdulkarim, the erstwhile caput of the government’s antiquities and museums department.

The depository reopened connected Jan. 8, a period aft rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering successful a caller epoch for the country. Fearful of looting, the depository closed aft the violative ended 5 decades of Assad household rule.

The years of struggle had severely affected areas including the historical cardinal town of Palmyra, erstwhile held by the Islamic State group. In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums successful Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage tract that is celebrated for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, different ruins and priceless artifacts.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.

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