The British Museum says it has recovered some of the 2,000 items believed to have been stolen by an insider
FILE - Visitors walk outside the British Museum in Bloomsbury, London, Friday, June 26, 2015. The British Museum said a member of staff has been dismissed after items were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. The museum said Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 it has also ordered an independent review or security and ordered kickstart a ‘'vigorous program to recover the missing items.
He said the museum was working with the antiquarian community and art recovery experts to get the items back. In early 2021, British-Danish art historian and dealer Ittai Gradel contacted the Museum bosses with his suspicions, but they assured him nothing was amiss. However, at the start of this year, the museum called in London’s Metropolitan Police force.
The historian said he found the identity of the seller through PayPal. He turned out to be the museum staff member who has since been fired. The thefts, and the museum’s bungled response, have plunged the institution into crisis. The 18th-century museum in central London’s Bloomsbury district is one of Britain’s biggest tourist attractions, visited by 6 million people a year. They come to see a collection that ranges from Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek statues to Viking hoards, scrolls bearing 12th-century Chinese poetry and masks created by the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
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