The priceless Romanian helmet stolen from a Dutch museum in January 2025 has been found and presented to the public at a packed press conference in Assen on Thursday.
The helmet, which dates from 500 BC and is made of solid gold, was stolen from the Drents Museum on the night of January 24, 2025, alongside three gold armbands. Two of the armbands were also on display under heavy security at the museum on Thursday afternoon.
Local public prosecution chief Corien Fahner said the items had been recovered following a plea bargain with the three suspects, who are due to appear in court later this month. “The key to finding them [the helmet and armbands] was with the three suspects,” she said.
More details of the deal that has been struck with the suspects will be made public at the hearing on April 14, she said.
Fahner would not say where the items were found, but said they were “made available” by the defence on Wednesday. The third armband is still missing and the focus remains on recovering that, she said.
The armbands are in perfect condition but several old repairs have come loose on the helmet and it has a slight dent, although this can be restored without problem, museum director Robert van Langh said. “It is up to Romania to decide where the repairs will be made,” he said.
The heist occurred at around 3:25 am on a Saturday morning after an explosion shattered windows and caused damage to the museum buildings. The thieves made off with the helmet of Coțofenești and the armbands, which had been loaned to the museum by the National History Museum in Bucharest.
Daniela Buriani, of the Romanian public prosecution department, thanked everyone who was part of the investigation, which was a joint probe between Dutch, Romanian, and Eurojust officials. “This investigation started one year and two months ago,” she said. “This is a long-awaited result.”
Van Langh said everyone at the museum is grateful and relieved that the artefacts have been recovered. “I cannot image what it means for our colleagues at the museum in Bucharest and all Romanians,” he said. “It is wonderful that the helmet and two of the armbands are now being returned to where they belong.”
A fourth person connected to the case will appear before a magistrate in May. Three other people arrested in connection with the case have been released without charge.
