Thieves raid bronze age collection in ‘super-fast’ Spain museum heist
It is not immediately known how many of the 50-plus mainly gold objects from the Treasure of Villena were taken.
On Thursday morning, a highly skilled and efficient gang of thieves carried out a swift and professional raid on the Villena Museum in eastern Spain, stealing nearly the entire renowned Treasure of Villena collection. The museum, located in the province of Alicante, houses one of the world's most significant Bronze Age gold collections, which was allegedly sourced from a meteorite.
The audacious assault occurred around 5:20 a.m., with the alarm being raised shortly thereafter. Within four minutes, the thieves had vanished into the night, leaving only a few artifacts in their wake. The mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdan, expressed profound devastation over the loss of the culturally significant heritage.
The thieves infiltrated the museum through a window, possibly using several vehicles for their getaway. They managed to carry away the vast majority of the collection, which comprises more than 50 gold objects, including bowls, bottles, and bracelets. The mayor estimated the gold alone to be worth around €1.7 million or $2 million.
Security systems were triggered during the incident, and museum officials stated there were no failures in the museum's defenses. The collection's historical significance is immeasurable, as it represents the earliest known use of iron in Western Europe and is the most important collection of Bronze Age goldware in existence.
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