politics
Thieves steal bronze age Treasure of Villena in four-minute heist
Most of 50-piece Spanish gold collection worth at least €1.7m stolen in latest high-profile European raid
TL;DR
- The Treasure of Villena, a collection of over 50 Bronze Age artifacts, was stolen from the Villena Museum in Spain.
- The heist occurred in the early morning and lasted approximately four minutes, described as 'super-fast and super-professional'.
- The stolen items are mainly gold, dating back to around 1000BC, with an estimated gold value of €1.7m.
- This theft is the latest in a series of high-profile museum raids across Europe, including incidents at the Louvre and museums in Sicily and near Parma.
- Authorities are investigating whether a prior alarm at a nearby sports centre was a diversion tactic used by the thieves.