Three men were sentenced to prison today for the brazen theft of a 2,000-year-old golden helmet from a Dutch museum. The helmet, a priceless artifact from the Roman era, was snatched in a night-time raid that left security guards bound and gagged. Sources confirm the men, all Dutch nationals with prior convictions for art theft, were arrested following a joint operation between Dutch police and Interpol.
The British Art Recovery Unit, which provided intelligence support, praised the cross-border cooperation as a model for future investigations. This was a textbook case of international police work," a unit spokesperson said.
The helmet was recovered in a warehouse in Rotterdam, wrapped in a blanket, ready for sale on the black market. We believe it was destined for a private collector in the Middle East." The sentence, totalling 15 years, comes after a year-long investigation that uncovered a network of stolen antiquities stretching across Europe.
The helmet, known as the Golden Helmet of Woerden, is valued at over 5 million euros. It will be returned to the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden next week.
