Priceless 2,500-year-old golden helmet returned to Romania after Dutch museum raid

Europe Priceless 2,500-year-old golden helmet returned to Romania after Dutch museum raid April 22, 20261:24 AM ET By  The Associated Press Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Andreea Alexandru/AP hide caption toggle caption Andreea Alexandru/AP BUCHAREST, Romania — A priceless golden helmet dating back 2,500 years was returned to Romania on Tuesday after the national heirloom was stolen from a Dutch museum where it was on loan last year. Europe Meet the Dutch art detective who tracks down stolen masterpieces The ornate Cotofenesti helmet and three golden bracelets — some of Romania's most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization — were taken from the Drents Museum in January 2025 in a raid which shocked the art world and devastated Romanian authorities. But after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic tensions, and three suspects in an ongoing trial, most of the artifacts arrived at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport on Tuesday from where authorities transported them under guard to Bucharest's National History Museum. They were displayed in a glass cabinet, flanked by masked, armed guards. Sponsor Message Cornel Constantin Ilie, the museum's interim director, said that the artifacts have been returned "not as simple patrimony items, but as relics of our historical memory, as the legacy of a civilization that continues to define us." "For us, this is a moment of joy, but also of contemplation," he said. "For months, we have lived with the fear that part of our past could be lost forever. Today we can say that an essential part of this treasure has returned." Robert van Langh, the Drents Museum director, described the recovery and return of the relics as "an emotional moment for all i...