Thieves raid bronze age collection in ‘super-fast’ Spain museum heist

What the report says

Thieves broke into the Museum of Villena in eastern Spain and stole items from the Treasure of Villena, a Bronze Age collection known for its mainly gold artifacts, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and local officials. The heist took place early Thursday in the town of Villena, Alicante province, and authorities said the alarm sounded around 5:20am, with the intruders gone by 5:24am. Police were still taking inventory, so it was not immediately clear how many of the collection’s more than 50 objects were missing.

A council spokesperson described the operation as “super-fast and super-professional,” while also saying the museum’s security systems were activated and that there had been no apparent failure in the building’s safeguards. Officials were also looking into whether an alarm at a nearby sports centre, triggered shortly before the robbery, may have been used as a diversion.

The Treasure of Villena includes bracelets, bowls, bottles and other pieces made mostly of gold, but also silver, iron and amber, and dates to around 1,000 BC. It was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist Jose Maria Soler. The theft adds to a recent series of high-profile museum raids across Europe, highlighting the continuing vulnerability of cultural institutions to organized theft.