Australian police have recovered a trove of stolen Egyptian artefacts and charged a 52-year-old man with a nighttime smash-and-grab at a museum.<\/p>\n
The man was accused of breaking a window and making off with the priceless treasures in the early hours of Friday from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archeology in the Queensland town of Caboolture.<\/p>\n
Police said they found all the stolen goods — except for a wooden cat sculpture — with only minor damage when they searched a car the following day at a ferry terminal south of the museum.<\/p>\n
They arrested the suspect on the same evening.<\/p>\n
“Police will allege the man was found in possession of the last missing artefact, the wooden cat sculpture,” they said.<\/p>\n
The man, named by local media as Miguel Simon Mungarrieta Monsalve, was charged with various counts including breaking and entering, and three counts of wilful damage.<\/p>\n
In court on Monday, a prosecutor said the man stole a mummy mask, a collar, a piece of jewellery and the wooden cat while also causing “irreparable damage” to other items, according to public broadcaster ABC.<\/p>\n
The suspect told police that he believed the museum had links to the Catholic Church, the prosecutor was quoted as telling the court.<\/p>\n
The museum said it was “relieved and grateful” to get the artefacts back, but they could not go back on display immediately.<\/p>\n
“Each piece must first undergo professional assessment and conservation to protect its long-term future.”<\/p>\n
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