US customs officers confiscate stolen Egyptian artifacts

Press TV
US customs officers have confiscated two stolen Egyptian artifacts in Laredo, Texas, and are trying to return them to their African homeland.

According to a Customs and Border Protection statement, the sarcophagus-type artifacts bear intricate designs and were shipped to the United States as Egyptian sculptures.


Homeland Security Investigations, however, determined they weren't accompanied by required documentation and were Egyptian property.

No information was provided about who was shipping the priceless objects or the possibility of criminal charges, AP reported.

The relics will be returned to Egypt after going through a government forfeiture process.

Looters attacked some ancient sites and museums while Egypt was rocked by unprecedented demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-rule.

Inspired by the popular revolution in Tunisia, which resulted in the historic overthrow of ousted president Zine El Abidin Ben Ali, Egyptians staged similar pro-democracy protests starting on January 24, 2011, calling on Mubarak to step down from power after three decades in office.

Some 70 objects including two mummified skulls from the Late Period were destroyed when protesters set the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), near Cairo's Egyptian Museum, on fire.

The two-storey Egyptian museum houses tens of thousands of historical objects in its galleries and storerooms, including most of the King Tutankhamen collection.

Egyptian authorities made a 'Red List' of missing items and sent it to Interpol and other international organizations to recover the artifacts of historic value.


Some stolen pieces were retrieved during the months after the revolution, but some are still missing.

EGYPT NEWS