ATHENS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Greek police have recovered
antiquities stolen from a museum in Ancient Olympia and arrested
three people, police said on Saturday.
The robbery in February, which came just after a theft at
the country's National Gallery, prompted outrage from many arts
and culture workers who said budget cutbacks from austerity
measures had left Greece's vast art treasures at risk.
During the robbery, armed thieves overpowered a female guard
and made off with about 70 bronze, pottery and other artefacts
at the museum in Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games.
Many of the artefacts stolen were found buried in a field
about 3 km from the archaeological site in the southern
Pelopponese region, police said. The three people arrested were
charged with robbery of antiquities.
"Despite the difficult economic situation we are not being
lax on security issues, especially over our cultural heritage,"
Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias told a news conference.
Police said the men were arrested after one of them tried to
sell an ancient gold ring to an undercover policeman for 1.5
million euros ($2 million). The antiquities will be returned to
the museum next week.
($1 = 0.7717 euros)
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Writing by Deepa Babington;
Editing by Alison Williams)