Syria announces arrest in National Museum of Damascus heist

Syria’s Culture Ministry said Friday that suspects had been arrested in connection with last month’s theft of artifacts from the National Museum of Damascus, citing what it described as a rapid investigation carried out with the Ministry of Interior and security authorities.

The theft occurred on the night of November 9 and was discovered when a door was found broken, Syria’s Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums announced two days later.

Syrian officials later said that the items stolen were four marble statues, as well as one in alabaster and one in plaster, all of the Roman goddess Venus.

In its statement Friday, the Culture Ministry said officials recovered surveillance footage after reactivating a monitoring system that the thieves assumed was not functioning.

“Under the direct supervision and daily follow-up of the minister, the monitoring system that the thieves believed to be disabled and out of service was successfully reactivated,” the ministry said. “This enabled authorities to retrieve all video footage documenting the theft operation in precise detail.”

The ministry said the footage allowed officials to track movement inside the museum “before, during, and after the theft,” leading to the arrest of what it described as “the head of the antiquities theft network,” identified by the initials “T.H.”

The suspect “has confessed to the crime and provided information about his accomplices in the theft,” officials said.

The Culture Ministry said it worked with investigators from Syria’s Interior Ministry and consulted technological experts during the investigation. Officials also pledged to release further details as the case proceeds.

The DGAM, which oversees Syria’s museums and archaeological sites, issued a separate statement praising the government’s response and confirming continued cooperation in the investigation.

The DGAM said the efforts of the Culture Ministry, working with the Interior Ministry and security agencies, “resulted in the rapid uncovering of the circumstances surrounding the theft incident that targeted the Classical Hall at the National Museum of Damascus last month, and the arrest of those involved.”

The directorate said it would continue to work with security and judicial authorities to recover stolen objects and pursue penalties against those responsible.

It pledged “to follow all subsequent details of the investigations, recover the stolen objects, and apply the maximum penalties against anyone who dares to tamper with this precious civilizational heritage.”

The DGAM also said it would strengthen protection measures at museums and archaeological sites nationwide, emphasizing that “safeguarding Syria’s antiquities and museums is a great trust and responsibility borne by all of us.”