12 suspects involved in illicit trafficking in antiquities arrested in Iraq
Some of the artifacts returned to Iraq. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi authorities arrested on Sunday 12 suspects accused of illicit trafficking in antiquities in different governorates and seized dozens of artifacts, according to a statement of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The statement revealed that the INIS carried out qualitative operations based on accurate intelligence information to arrest suspects accused of illicit trafficking in antiquities in four Iraqi governorates.
The four governorates are Babylon in central Iraq, Karbala and Al-Qadisiyyah in southern Iraq, and Anbar in the western part of the country.
Four suspects were arrested in Al-Qadisiyyah governorate where 68 artifacts, records and documents dating back to ancient times were found in their possession, according to the statement.
Three suspects possessing two artifacts were arrested in Babylon governorate, and one suspect accused of illicit trafficking in antiquities was arrested in Anbar governorate, the statement explained.
In Karbala, four suspects possessing 13 valuable antiquities were arrested, the statement added.
The Iraqi authorities announced last year it recovered thousands of artifacts from the United States of America and other countries that had been stolen from historical sites that were looted after 2003.