Romanian treasures stolen from Dutch museum ‘could still be intact'
The theft in January shocked Romania, whose national museum loaned the artefacts for an exhibition.
The then-president Klaus Iohannis said at the time that the artefacts had 'exceptional cultural and historical importance' for Romanian heritage and identity, and that their disappearance had 'a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society'.
Thieves used a homemade firework bomb and sledge hammer to break into the Drents Museum, in the eastern Dutch city of Assen, on January 25 and steal items, including the intricate golden Cotofenesti helmet that dates back 2,500 years and is one Romania's most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilisation.
Grainy security video distributed by police after the raid appeared to show three people opening a museum door with a large crowbar, after which an explosion is seen.
Within days of the break-in, three people were arrested by police.
On Friday, a judge at North Netherlands District Court ordered two suspects, aged in their mid-30s, to remain in custody for a further 90 days pending further inquiries.
They have been charged with three offences linked to their alleged involvement in the heist: Causing an explosion, damaging the museum and stealing the artefacts.
A third suspect, aged 20, is also under arrest.
All three come from the same town near Amsterdam.
One of the suspects, identified by Dutch media as Douglas W, insisted he was innocent, national broadcaster NOS reported.
'I'm sitting here innocent and my life is ruined,' he was reported to have told the court.
Police are still seeking four other people who are suspected of playing supporting roles in the theft of the artefacts, which art experts believe would be impossible to sell.
Dutch prosecutors believe the art treasures 'have not been melted down and that the main suspects, particularly the 36-year-old, still have control over them', the prosecution service said in a statement.
A trial is expected to begin in about a year.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Second night of Ballymena violence as cops fire multiple baton rounds at rioters as water cannon on scene amid tensions
Several properties were damaged on Clonavon Terrace in attacks RIOT UPDATE Second night of Ballymena violence as cops fire multiple baton rounds at rioters as water cannon on scene amid tensions Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RIOT police have been deployed again in Ballymena as cops fire multiple baton rounds at rioters. It comes just one day after serious unrest in the area saw homes destroyed and cops injured. 8 A Ballymena resident said she's too scared to stay in the area following the riots Credit: Pacemaker 8 Firefighters attended the scene after two homes were set alight Credit: Pacemaker 8 People wearing masks threw masonry and other missiles Credit: Pacemaker Hundreds of people have gathered in the Co Antrim town less than 24 hours after riots broke out following a protest last night. PSNI vehicles have been sent into the area to form barricades on some roads. This comes after several properties were damaged on Clonavon Terrace in attacks which police have described as 'racist thuggery'. The violent scenes in the area left 15 police injured and a number of cops cars damaged. The violence followed an earlier protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. A 28-year-old man was also arrested by police as part of the investigation on Monday evening, but has since been 'unconditionally released' from custody. A mother who lives in one of the houses attacked during violence in Ballymena said she had been left too scared to stay in the area. The mother-of-three - who now intends to leave the area - said her children were asking why their house was being attacked during disturbances in the Co Antrim town on Monday night. Speaking to the PA news agency, the woman, who said she was too afraid to give her name, said she tried to flee her house after the front window was broken. She said: 'The children were asking me why are we being attacked. 'I don't want to stay here now, the children are afraid and I am afraid.' 'POGRAM PREVENTED' In the aftermath of the rioting, the chairman of the Police Federation said the actions of PSNI officers saved lives and 'prevented a pogrom with consequences too painful to contemplate'. Liam Kelly, the head of the group that represents rank and file PSNI officers, said cops faced attacks which were 'totally mindless, unacceptable and feral'. Mr Kelly said: 'Once again, our colleagues were caught up trying to quell hate-filled violence on our streets. 'Officers who were trying to protect life and property came under unjustified sustained attack. 'All right-minded people should utterly condemn these actions and provide information and assistance to the PSNI so they can identify those who engaged in the various lawless acts of thuggery. 'Officers' injuries tell a frightening story of a mob fully intent on inflicting great harm on people. 'Police officers worked tirelessly to defuse a potentially explosive situation and uphold the law.' 'MINDLESS VIOLENCE' Mr Kelly said the officers had suffered 'for their courageous and professional interventions'. He added: 'This was mindless violence and thuggery. 'Officers were under great pressure but, to their credit, they restored order over a prolonged period of unrest. 'I have no doubt whatsoever that police officers – far too few because the service is starved of resources and officer numbers – prevented a pogrom with consequences too painful to contemplate. 'What we saw was totally mindless, unacceptable and feral. 'I wish to commend the men and women of the PSNI who undoubtedly saved lives last night. "I would appeal for calm, and request that there is no repeat of these shocking images in the town or the lawless acts of intimidation of anyone in our community." 'FELT FEAR' PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would have a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the attacks should be 'loudly condemned by all right thinking people'. Speaking at a press conference at Ballymena police station, he said: 'Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced." He said that members of the minority ethnic community 'felt fear' and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. 'All right-minded people should utterly condemn these actions and provide information and assistance to the PSNI so they can identify those who engaged in the various lawless acts of thuggery." Liam Kelly He said one arrest has been made and more will follow, as video and online footage is examined. The 29-year-old arrested has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police. He is due to before Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Mr Henderson said: 'I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in yesterday's disorder to reflect long and hard about their actions, they will have consequences." VIOLENT SCENES Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. He said: 'Should I need any additionality, I'm absolutely assured that my colleagues in policing in England and Wales, the National Police Operation Centre, stand fast and ready to support should we need that support.' The senior officer said police did not have specific intelligence that there would be a repeat of the violent scenes, but said a significant policing operation would be in place. PLANNED VIGIL A PSNI spokesperson said: 'At around 7.30pm, a planned vigil gathered in the Galgorm Road area before making its way towards Larne Street, onto Wakehurt Road and then down Queen Street. 'The vigil was initially peaceful as it made its way towards the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena. 'Officers were present at the vigil to ensure an appropriate and proportionate policing response, due to the large number of people who had gathered in the area. 'A number of masked individuals then broke away from the vigil and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties in the Clonavon Terrace area. 'Elements of the crowd then turned on to police and attacked officers with petrol bombs and masonry. 'This disorder was sustained and continued in the vicinity of Galgorm Street, Linenhall Street and Larne Road Link in the vicinity of the Braid.' COPS ATTACKED The statement added: 'Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, fireworks, heavy masonry and bricks thrown in their direction by masked rioters. 'Fifteen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. 'Two police vehicles were also damaged during the disorder. 'A number of homes and businesses were damaged with windows and doors smashed. Four houses were damaged by fire with three people evacuated. 'The attacks on these properties are being investigated as racially motivated hate attacks. 'Windows were also smashed of several business units in Galgorm Parks in the early hours. 'In total, six properties in Clonavon Terrace have sustained damage to windows and doors during the disorder." OTHER ARSON As part of ongoing inquiries, police are also investigating a report of arson at the Tobar Park area of Cullybackey in the early hours of Tuesday. Shortly after 12.20am, it was reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at a vehicle in the area which set it alight. Damage was caused to a nearby property, with a woman and two children inside. 8 The violence followed an earlier protest Credit: Pacemaker Press 8 Residents told of the fear after the riots Credit: Pacemaker Press 8 PSNI vehicles were sent into the area to form barricades on some roads Credit: Pacemaker Press 8 Cops and riot officers were among those deployed to the scene Credit: Pacemaker
New Statesman
3 hours ago
- New Statesman
Ireland's anti-immigrant rage will not go away
Pacemaker Belfast On Tuesday night, a small town in Northern Ireland saw its second night of anti-immigration unrest. Ballymena – population 31,000, half an hour north of Belfast – has been thrown into a state of disarray not seen there since the acme of the Troubles in the 1970s. Riot police were deployed as hundreds gathered. The crowd launched petrol bombs and bricks at police services, and tried to burn down houses on a central residential street. Protestors were dispersed with a water cannon; at least fifteen police officers have been declared injured; windows have been smashed and cars set alight. It is a predictable escalation on the events of Monday evening. That morning, two 14-year-olds accused of sexual assault of a teenage girl appeared before Coleraine Magistrates'court, speaking through an interpreter in Romanian. (They both deny the charges.) The day unfurled in a familiar pattern. Crowds gathered peacefully for a vigil at the site of the alleged assault that afternoon, a vigil that by evening had descended into violence as protestors similarly launched petrol bombs and bricks at police services. Jim Allister, the local MP representing the conservative and protestant Traditional Unionist Voice party, suggested the 'very distressing' scenes were a product of unhappiness at 'significant demographic change in the area' caused by 'unfettered immigration.' When ethnic tension broke out on the streets of England last summer, the echoes with very recent history were apparent. Three young girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift dance class in the seaside town of Southport, triggering days of rioting and anti-immigration protests. Hundreds were arrested. Few could ignore the parallels with Dublin less than a year prior. In November 2023 the city was set ablaze after an Algerian naturalised citizen allegedly attacked school children and their teacher in the inner northside. Agitators made their call to arms over encrypted messaging service Telegram: 'Everyone bally [balaclava] up, tool up,' a man can be heard in a voice note. 'Let's show the f***ing media that we're not a pushover. That no more foreigners are allowed into this poxy country.' There are several things that unite the two events: a common rhetorical cause (in Dublin protestors shout 'Ireland is full', in England banners read 'we want our country back'); an incoherent, small, and angry nativist cohort united by a violent attack on children; and a social media-scape littered with false information that spread faster than the authorities could react to it. In both cases the attacker was incorrectly identified as an 'illegal immigrant'. The deeper social contours are similar, too: these are white working class areas. A million newspaper columns, books, sociological studies and documentaries have been produced to explain, critique, and, in some cases, ventriloquise their rage. An entire language has been generated to accompany this agonised library: left-behind, somewheres, broken heartlands, red wall even white working class itself, a phrase that barely existed before the 1960s, and only gained currency in Britain following the vote to leave the European Union in 2016. The basic, fundamental fact of the matter hasn't changed since then. An unhappy, alienated white working class channels its despair into desperate political gambles, or, more bleakly, outright violence. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Ireland and Britain increasingly resemble one another in this respect. In Dublin in particular the demographic change is precipitous: in the year to April 2023, immigration reached a 16-year high of 141,600; one opinion poll conducted by the Business Post/Red C, found that 75 per cent of people believed Ireland was accepting too many refugees. The country had long considered itself immune to the worst excesses of national populism but the levels of immigration, combined with the profound housing crisis, have created a tinderbox atmosphere. The riots in November 2023 were only a surprise if you'd stopped paying attention. Given the agitation just south of the border, we might have expected a cross-pollination event sooner in Northern Ireland. But it was not until the Southport attacks in August 2024 that Belfast saw its own large-scale agitation, in support of the protests across the Irish Sea. Strikingly, Irish tricolours appeared alongside Ulster flags – both sides of the tradition finally united under a common cause: anti-immigration. One thing is clear: this mode of civil unrest is not local. What happened in Dublin precipitated last summer's events in England, as porous social media appeared to turbo-charge tensions on both sides of the sea. The 2024 marches in Belfast were held in solidarity with protestors in England, and were joined by agitators who had travelled north from the Republic. Ballymena is not just half an hour away from Belfast. It is – via X, Facebook and Telegram – just as close to the restless communities scattered across the archipelago. A long summer lies ahead. [See more: Labour is losing Wales] Related
North Wales Chronicle
8 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
PSNI use water cannon in Ballymena after petrol bombs thrown at officers
Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday night as hundreds of people gathered in the Co Antrim town. PSNI vehicles formed barricades on some roads while riot police wearing armour and carrying shields also responded to the disorder. Some protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. A car was set on fire near a car wash and tyre centre as part of a number of blazes started by protesters. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Multiple house windows were smashed during the unrest and the clothing of at least one protester caught fire during the disorder. Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. Repeatedly using water cannons, PSNI – accompanied by dog units – moved protesters away from Clonavon Terace towards the junction of Bridge Street and North Street near a mural of King William. Some homes in the area displayed signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying 'British household' and another with 'Filipino lives here'. It comes after violent disorder on Monday, following an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. A number of homes and police vehicles were damaged during the riotous behaviour. The scenes of violence in Ballymena, which left 15 police injured on Monday, were described as 'racist thuggery' by a senior officer. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force had a significant operation in place over the coming days. He said: 'We are actively working to identify those responsible for last night's racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. 'Anyone who has information or who can help identify those responsible is asked to contact police on 101.' A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night. The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday July 3, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police. Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The Prime Minister's official spokesman described the events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as 'very concerning'. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. The violence flared following an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNI's public protection branch said: 'A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. 'He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning.' Mr Henderson said the attacks should be 'loudly condemned by all right-thinking people'. 'Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced,' he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community 'felt fear' and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. 'I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in yesterday's disorder to reflect long and hard about their actions, they will have consequences,' he said. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. As part of ongoing inquiries, police are also investigating a report of arson at the Tobar Park area of Cullybackey in the early hours of Tuesday. Shortly after 12.20am, it was reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at a vehicle in the area which set it alight. Damage was caused to a nearby property, with a woman and two children inside. Downing Street said there could be no justification for the violence in Ballymena. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. 'Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. 'PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.'
