Thieves steal Bronze Age artifacts from Spanish museum in four-minute heist
The Treasure of Villena is a unique trove of almost ten kilos of gold, bowls, bottles and bracelets dating back to the Bronze Age.
On Thursday morning, thieves executed a swift and professional raid on the Villena Museum in Spain, stealing a significant portion of the Treasure of Villena – one of Europe's most important prehistoric collections. The heist lasted only four minutes, with the thieves targeting the collection of 66 gold Bronze Age objects, estimated to be worth approximately €1.7 million.
Villena Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán expressed devastation over the loss, stating that the stolen treasure was not only a significant historical and cultural asset but also a major part of Villena's wealth. The museum's security systems were reportedly activated, and investigators are exploring the possibility of a diversion alarm being used to distract from the actual theft.
This incident follows a string of high-profile museum heists across Europe, raising concerns about the emergence of new criminal networks targeting cultural artifacts.
Written by urgent.news from Free Press Journal's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
