Three gold bracelets and a helmet featured in an exhibition at The Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, were stolen on Friday night after thieves stormed the museum using an explosive device.
The exhibition, “Dacia - Empire of Gold and Silver,” presented a loaned artistic pieces from Romania. It was scheduled to continue until the end of the week.
However, police received a report around 3:45 am local time Saturday about an explosion at the museum. Upon arrival, officers found the museum damaged and the gold masterpieces gone.
The stolen artifacts — described by the museum as “archaeological masterpieces” — include the golden helmet of Cotofenesti, a famed relic that dates back to roughly 450 BC.
Historian Dimitri Tilloi-d'Ambrosi said the helmet is a “jewel” and represented one of the precious artifacts that were displayed in the exhibition. He added that Dacia was a strong kingdom north of the Danube, and was famous for gold and silver mines.
The museum’s director, Harry Tupan, said the institution had 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.
The museum’s premises were damaged by the explosion, though no injuries were reported. It remained closed through the weekend due to the robbery.
Dutch police announced that they are working with global police agency Interpol. Investigators are currently looking for information about a gray car that was stolen from the nearby city of Alkmaar earlier in the week and was discovered around four miles from the crime scene, on fire, shortly after the overnight heist.
Police believe the suspects abandoned the vehicle, which had stolen license plates, and fled in a different getaway car.
Dutch authorities contacted the Romanian government to investigate the case.
