A fourth person was arrested on Thursday in connection with the robbery of ancient Romanian gold artifacts at the Drents Museum in Assen last month.
A distinctive helmet and three gold armbands have not been recovered, and the hunt for another key suspect is still ongoing. A 250,000 euro reward has been offered for a tip that leads to the return of the pieces which are linked to the Dacian people of modern day Romania.
Police took a 26-year-old man from Heerhugowaard into custody on Thursday morning. The small Noord-Holland city is near Alkmaar about an hour north of Amsterdam. The man was arrested nearby in Obdam, NL Times reported.
“After the arrest this morning, the police conducted investigations at various locations, including a storage garage in the municipality of Koggenland, and a home in Heerhugowaard,” police said in a statement. Investigators seized electronic devices to as well as two vehicles and articles of clothing.
He is the fourth resident of Heerhugowaard arrested in connection with the robbery in Assen, on the opposite side of the country. Two men were taken into custody four days after the robbery on January 25. They were both remanded to pretrial detention for an initial 90-day period by the district court a week ago. The woman arrested at the same time was remanded to jail for 30 days while the investigation continues.P
Police still have yet to find a man who was seen at a hardware store in Assen just before the break-in which could be similar to the dead blow hammer and sledgehammer used in the crime. Security camera footage released by the police showed the man wearing a black baseball hat and a glasses.
Authorities released the names of the two men arrested and their photos to try to put pressure on the remaining suspects, and to make it more difficult to transfer the stolen goods or melt them down.
The loot includes a 2,500-year old helmet and three golden bracelets that are about 2,075 years old. They were part of a collection of 673 objects which were on loan from Romania for the Dacia exhibit at the Drents Museum.
A Dutch entrepreneur living in Bucharest announced a reward of 250,000 euros for the tip that leads to the recovery of the four objects.
Three suspects detained in Netherlands over museum theft. No word on the treasure
