Expert admits melting down of Kotsofenesti gold helmet stolen in the Netherlands

Stolen from the Drenthe Museum in the city of Assen in the Netherlands, the golden helmet of Kotsofenesti could be melted down. Dutch art expert Arthur Brand told the New York Post newspaper.

"They probably went after the gold to (I almost dare not say those words) melt it down," he said.

Brand stressed that the helmet in its pristine condition cannot be sold because the artifact is known worldwide.

Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu said the robbery amounted to a "crime against the state" and urged officials to treat the return of the artifacts as an "absolute priority."

Earlier, on January 25, it became known that from the Dutch Museum of Drenthe in Assen during a raid were stolen exhibits of the exhibition "Dacia! Kingdom of Gold and Silver", dating back to the V century BC. Among the stolen items was a famous golden helmet from the Romanian commune of Kotsofenesti. According to preliminary data, the intruders blew up the wall of the museum to get into the room where the exhibits from the collection were displayed.