Two more people have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of the Golden Helmet of Coțofenești and three golden bracelets — irreplaceable Romanian archaeological treasures – from an exhibition in Assen in January.
One of the two male suspects held on April 23 was believed to be the so-called “DIY man”, who was captured on security footage in a hardware store in Assen, reportedly purchasing a mallet that investigators said may have been used in the robbery.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the police have seized his computer and data storage devices.
The two men, aged 20 and 18, were both from Heerhugowaard and were being questioned about their possible involvement in the heist.
The stolen artefacts —some of the most significant pieces of Romania’s material heritage —have remained missing.
Alongside the arrests, police also searched a commercial building and confiscated additional data carriers.
That followed the previous arrest on April 15, of a man in Alkmaar in North Holland on suspicion of allegedly being linked to the robbery.
A few days after the heist, the police made several other arrests, with three men still in custody.
A 40-year-old woman was also detained earlier in the investigation and although she was later released, she has remained a suspect.
Dutch investigators said they believed the treasure was still intact but hidden.
Authorities have also seized assets and accounts worth millions of euros in hope of tracing the stolen items.
A preliminary court hearing for the detained suspects has been scheduled for May 9. Following that, the court will decide whether to extend their pre-trial detention and the Prosecutor’s Office was expected to provide further updates.
The robbery took place on January 25, when art thieves used dynamite to break through a reinforced concrete wall of the Drents Museum in the city of Assen, damaging other buildings in the neighbourhood.
Priceless Romanian works of art and national treasures were stolen from a temporary exhibition titled Dacia – Empire of gold and silver.
The star piece was the Golden Helmet of Coțofenești, a well-preserved pure gold Geto-Dacian helmet from the 5th Century BC, weighing almost 1kg.
Alongside that, three gold bracelets from the Sarmizegetusa region in Romania were also stolen by the thieves.
In Romania, the news has been treated as a national disaster.
Several golden archaeological masterpieces from Romania have been stolen from a Dutch museum. https://t.co/aZcl7loQtR
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 27, 2025
