Australian man arrested for theft of Egyptian artifacts

A 52-year-old man has been arrested after “priceless” ancient Egyptian artifacts were taken from a small Australian museum in an early morning break-in on Friday, police said.

A thief smashed a window of the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture around 3 a.m. Friday and took the artifacts before fleeing the scene.

The stolen items included a 2,600-year-old Egyptian cartonnage funerary mask, a painted figure of a cat representing the goddess Bast, a mummy collar decorated with the four sons of Horus, and a beaded necklace.

The Queensland Police Service said Sunday that, around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, investigators found and seized a Toyota HiAce camper in the parking lot of a ferry terminal in Redland Bay, located about 28 miles southeast of Brisbane.

Inside the camper van, detectives found three of the stolen artifacts. “The items were recovered intact, with only minor damage noted,” police said.

The man, who has no fixed address, was arrested around 7 p.m. on Saturday on Russell Island, a residential island. Police said the man was found in possession of the last missing artifact, a wooden cat sculpture.

He was taken to the Cleveland Watchhouse, a local police holding facility in Queensland, and charged with the Australian equivalent of burglary and three counts of property damage.

Police said the man was also charged with the Australian equivalent of criminal trespassing and assault causing bodily injury in connection with a separate incident on Thursday at a property on Hastings Street in Noosa.

He is expected to appear in Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Queensland Police Service and Caboolture Police for their fast, attentive response and care throughout this investigation. Their dedication has made the recovery of these treasured objects possible,” the Abbey Museum said in a statement Sunday.

“While we are relieved and grateful to have the artefacts returned, they cannot immediately go back on display.”

The museum said each artifact must first undergo professional assessment and conservation, a process that “will take time.” And the exhibition area was damaged and will require repair before the objects can be safely displayed.

“These objects belong to the shared story of our community, and preserving them properly is our highest priority,” the museum said. “We look forward to keeping our community updated and to celebrating together when we unveil the restored exhibition in the near future.”

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