3 dozen swords, 50 arrowheads dating back 4,000 years seized on way to Florida
AGAINST IRAN OVER THE WEEKEND, U.S. FORCES. CRAFT TARGETS REGION A FEW HOURS AGO, THERE WAS BLACK SMOKE AND HEAVY FLAMES AT ERBIL AIRPORT IN IRAQ, HOME TO U.S. MILITARY ASSETS, JUST ONE OF MANY TARGETS STRUCK AS FAR AS DIPLOMACY IS CONCERNED BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN. THAT APPEARS UNLIKELY AT THIS POINT, A TOP IRANIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SAID OVERNIGHT. IRAN WILL NOT NEGOTIATE WITH THE U.S. PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS WAR COULD GO ON 4 TO 5 WEEKS. COMBAT OPERATIONS CONTINUE AT THIS TIME IN FULL FORCE, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ALL OF OUR OBJECTIVES ARE ACHIEVED. WE HAVE VERY STRONG OBJECTIVES. THE BIG QUESTION MANY ARE ASKING NOW IS WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS OPERATION? IS IT FOR REGIME CHANGE? IS IT TO TAKE OUT IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM? WE ARE EXPECTING TO LEARN MORE DETAILS ABOUT ALL OF THAT. AFTER SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO ADDRESSES MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY. BACK TO YOU, RACHEL, BEFORE WE LET YOU GO AHEAD OF THIS BRIEFING ON CAPITOL HILL, WHAT ARE LAWMAKERS DEMANDING TO HEAR FROM THE ADMINISTRATION? YES. SO WE’VE BEEN HEARING FROM MANY DEMOCRATS WHO ARE PUSHING FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO ADDRESS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AS TO WHY EXACTLY HE DECIDED TO STRIKE IRAN OVER THE WEEKEND. WE’RE ALSO SEEING MANY DEMOCRATS TRY AND PUSH A BIPARTISAN VOTE ON THE WAR POWERS ACT THAT WOULD REQUIRE PRESIDENT TRUMP TO GET THE AUTHORIZATION OF CONGRESS BEFORE STRIKING IRAN OR ANY PARTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. BUT WE ARE ALSO SEEING MANY REPUBLICANS STAND BY THE PRESIDENT’S SIDE AFTER HE STRUCK IRAN OVER THE WEEKEND. TAKE A LISTEN. IRAN DOES HAVE A VAST MISSILE ARSENAL, AND THAT’S GOING TO BE THE PRIORITY OBJECTIVE FOR THIS MILITARY CAMPAIGN IS DESTROYING THAT ARSENAL THAT THREATENED AMERICAN TROOPS. I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS STARTED A WAR OF CHOICE. THERE WAS NO IMMINENT THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES. NOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY CAROLINE LEAVITT SAID THAT SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO ACTUALLY DID BRIEF THE GANG OF EIGHT SHORTLY BEFORE THE STRIKES TOOK PLACE OVER THE WEEKEND IN IRAN. BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. OUR WASHINGTON, D.C. CORRESPONDENT RACHEL HIRSCHHEIMER REPORTING LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. RACHEL, THANK YOU. AND IN THE MEANTIME, WE ARE HEARING REACTIONS FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ALSO POLITICAL FIGURES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, AS WELL AS THE JEWISH COMMUNITY. THE CEO OF SHALOM ORLANDO TELLS WESH TWO NEWS THAT THEY’RE STEPPING UP THEIR SECURITY MEASURES NOW. SHE ALSO SAYS THE ORGANIZATION IS WORKING TO SUPPORT JEWISH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN ISRAEL. IF YOU LOOK AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS, CHILDREN WHO DECIDED TO MOVE THERE. SOME ARE IN THE ARMY, SOME HAVE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WHO LIVE THERE. SO THIS IS A VERY PRESENT CONFLICT AT THE MOMENT. STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANNA ESKAMANI IS THE FIRST IRANIAN AMERICAN ELECTED TO PUBLIC OFFICE HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. AND SHE SAYS THAT HER FAMILY IN IRAN THIRST FOR FREEDOM. JUST KIND OF BEING ON EDGE TO OBVIOUSLY WANT TO SEE A FREE IRAN, BUT ALSO REALIZING THAT THAT PATHWAY, AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS CURRENTLY LEADING, CAN LEAD AND HAS LED TO INNOCENT PEOPLE BEING KILLED. REPUBLICAN SENATOR RICK SCOTT SAYS THE DAYS OF THE EVIL IRANIAN REGIME CHANTING DEATH TO AMERICA, THREATENING THE VERY EXISTENCE OF OUR COUNTRY AND OUR ALLIES AND IT’S OPPRESSING ITS PEOPLE ARE OVER NOW. HE STRESSED THAT THE U.S. SHOULD NEVER ALLOW IRAN TO HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. OVER THE WEEKEND HERE, PEOPLE GATHERED IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO IN SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAN, SAYING THAT IT’S THE ONLY WAY FOR IRANIANS TO HAVE DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS. THE RALLY WRAPPED UP WITH CHANTS FOR UNITY AND A PROMISE TO KEEP SPEAKING OUT UNTIL CHANGE COMES. OUR COVERAGE CONTINUES THIS MORNING AT 930. HOW THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS NOW IMPACTING GLOBAL TRADE, AIR TRAVEL AND ALSO THE COST OF CRUDE OIL. 904 AND HAPPENING TODAY HERE AT HOME IN ORANGE COUNTY, LEADERS ARE GOING TO DISCUSS WHETHER THEY SHOULD ASK YOU TO RAISE YOUR OWN TAXES. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THAT SALES TAX INCREASE SET TO GO ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT, POTENTIALLY. WESH TWO ALAN CAMPBELL IS JOINING US LIVE IN STUDIO. AND ALAN, LEADERS HERE SAY THAT ALL OF THIS MONEY IS GOING TO GO TOWARD A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS. AND SOMETHING INTERESTING HERE TO JASON, BECAUSE VOTERS HAVE ACTUALLY SHOT DOWN TAX INCREASES FOR TRANSPORTATION IN THE PAST. BUT THIS ONE WOULD ALSO ADD ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS. TODAY, ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE HAVING A SPECIAL MEETING TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY WANT TO TAKE THE IDEA TO VOTERS. THEY’RE CALLING IT AN INFRASTRUCTURE SURTAX. THE MONEY RAISED FROM IT WOULD GO TOWARD BUYING ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LANDS, CREATING PARKS AND TRAILS, AND ALSO IMPROVING STORMWATER SYSTEMS. BUT IT WOULD ALSO GO TOWARDS PROJECTS THE PREVIOUS FAILED TAX PLANS WOULD HAVE PAID FOR, INCLUDING IMPROVING ROADS AND MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS. PLUS, LEADERS WANT TO USE THE MONEY TO BUY LAND TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING. NOW THIS AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS WILL HEAR FROM A NONPROFIT GROUP CALLED THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND. THE COUNTY BROUGHT THAT GROUP IN THE TAX AND WHETHER THE PUBLIC WOULD SUPPORT IT. THAT SPECIAL MEETING IS HAPPENING AT 1:00 THIS AFTERNOON. MEREDITH ALAN. EARLY VOTING ALSO BEGINS TODAY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR SEVERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN ORANGE COUNTY. THE CITIES OF APOPKA, MAITLAND AND OAKLAND, ALONG WITH THE TOWN OF EATONVILLE, ALL HAVE OPEN SEATS TO FILL EATONVILLE. EARLY VOTING ENDS ON FRIDAY, WITH ELECTION DAY SATURDAY. THE OTHER CITIES WILL HAVE THEIR ELECTION DAY NEXT TUESDAY. FLAGLER BEACH, BUNNELL AND BEVERLY BEACH ALSO HAVE ELECTIONS, BUT THERE’S NO EARLY VOTING. ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW. THE INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING AFTER A BODY WASHED ASHORE, AND THEY THINK IT COULD BE RELATED TO SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED JUST DAYS BEFORE IN BREVARD COUNTY. DEPUTIES SAY A BOATER FOUND THE BODY YESTERDAY MORNING RIGHT THERE ALONG INDIAN RIVER DRIVE. THE BODY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS 18 YEAR-OLD ELIAS RAMOS, WHO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS RAN FROM POLICE AND ESCAPED BY GOING INTO THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON LAST TUESDAY. RAMOS IS FROM EDGEWATER AND WAS INVOLVED IN A FAMILY DISPUTE. NOW, THE CAPTAIN WITH THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THIS INVESTIGATION NOW INCLUDES FOUR SEPARATE COUNTIES, INCLUDING VOLUSIA AND BREVARD. FOR SOME REASON, HE DECIDED TO FLEE, WENT EAST, RAN INTO THE WATER ABOUT PROBABLY A FEW MILES NORTH OF US. AND THAT’S THE LAST TIME LAW ENFORCEMENT SAW HIM. INVESTIGATORS DON’T KNOW THE CAUSE OF DEATH AT THIS TIME. THE BODY RAMOS WAS SENT TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE FOR AN AUTOPSY. THE MAN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AND KILLING ANOTHER MAN OUTSIDE THE SAVOY CLUB IN ORLANDO WILL BE IN COURT TODAY. JOHN GABRIEL BORGIA IS FACING SECOND DEGREE MURDER CHARGES. POLICE SAY HE SHOT AND KILLED 33 YEAR OLD JULIAN EMMANUEL CRUZ LAST MONTH AFTER AN ARGUMENT. OUTSIDE OF THE GAY CLUB IN IVANHOE NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. ON 408 TOLL ROAD. EMAIL AND TEXT MESSAGE CLAIMS THAT OFFICERS TREATED HER RUDELY. THE INTERACTION ENDED WITH THE DISTRICT FIV
3 dozen swords, 50 arrowheads dating back 4,000 years seized on way to Florida
Updated: 11:41 AM EST Mar 2, 2026
Three dozen swords and 50 arrowheads dating back nearly 4,000 years to the Bronze Age were seized in Philadelphia by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this month.CBP officers confiscated 36 copper-alloy short swords and 50 copper-alloy arrowheads on Feb. 18 at the Port of Philadelphia, the federal law enforcement agency announced Friday.>> Video above is top headlines in Central Florida The federal law enforcement agency said the shipment arrived in Philadelphia from the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 16 and was destined for Jacksonville, Florida. They said officers X-rayed the shipment, which detected sword-like objects. Officers then opened the shipment and found the swords and arrowheads, according to CBP.With the help of an archaeologist from a Philadelphia university, the short swords and arrowheads were authenticated as antiquities dating back to 1600-1000 BCE from the southwestern Caspian Sea near the Talish Mountains region of Iran, CBP said.CBP said the items likely were obtained from illicit excavations of burial sites. They said the swords and arrowheads will be safeguarded until a disposition takes place.”Customs and Border Protection officers strive to rescue cultural artifacts from the grips of illicit international traders who plunder and exploit another nation’s heritage for profit,” Elliot Ortiz, the acting area port director in Philadelphia for CBP, said in a press release. “The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history.”
Three dozen swords and 50 arrowheads dating back nearly 4,000 years to the Bronze Age were seized in Philadelphia by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this month.
CBP officers confiscated 36 copper-alloy short swords and 50 copper-alloy arrowheads on Feb. 18 at the Port of Philadelphia, the federal law enforcement agency announced Friday.
>> Video above is top headlines in Central Florida
The federal law enforcement agency said the shipment arrived in Philadelphia from the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 16 and was destined for Jacksonville, Florida. They said officers X-rayed the shipment, which detected sword-like objects. Officers then opened the shipment and found the swords and arrowheads, according to CBP.
With the help of an archaeologist from a Philadelphia university, the short swords and arrowheads were authenticated as antiquities dating back to 1600-1000 BCE from the southwestern Caspian Sea near the Talish Mountains region of Iran, CBP said.
Courtesy: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CBP said the items likely were obtained from illicit excavations of burial sites. They said the swords and arrowheads will be safeguarded until a disposition takes place.
“Customs and Border Protection officers strive to rescue cultural artifacts from the grips of illicit international traders who plunder and exploit another nation’s heritage for profit,” Elliot Ortiz, the acting area port director in Philadelphia for CBP, said in a press release. “The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history.”