Ancient Roman-era statues stolen from Syria's national museum

Several antediluvian statues geological dating plunk for to the roman type epoch were stolen during a break-in at the national museum in Syria's capital, officials said Tuesday.

The National Museum of Damascus was temporarily closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum reopened in January as the country was reeling from the 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule last year.

The museum, the country's largest, houses invaluable antiquities dating back to Syria's long history. After the war started, security was boosted with metal gates and surveillance cameras.

An official from Syria's Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums told The Associated Press that six marble statues were stolen and an investigation is ongoing.

Another official said the theft occurred Sunday night and was discovered early Monday, when one of the doors at the classical department was found broken and several statues dating back to the Roman era were missing. The official refused to give an exact number.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations because the government has not yet made a statement.

The police chief in Damascus, Brig.-Gen. Osama Atkeh, later told state news agency SANA that several statues and rare collectibles were stolen from the museum. He said guards there and other individuals were being questioned.

An AP journalist who tried to enter the museum on Tuesday was told by guards that photography was not allowed.

The Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums said in a statement later in the day that an investigation had been launched and measures were taken immediately to guarantee the safety of the antiquities inside the museum. It did not say what was stolen, only saying "some exhibits" went missing.

The section of the museum where the statues were reported stolen is "a beautiful and historically rich department, with artifacts dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods," said Maamoun Abdulkarim, former head of the government's Antiquities and Museums Department.

The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ushering in a new era for the country. Fearful of looting, the museum in Damascus closed after the lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad's family rule.

After Syria's conflict began in March 2011, authorities had moved hundreds of priceless artifacts to Damascus from different parts of the country, including the historic central town of Palmyra that was once held by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In 2015, ISIS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra's UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.

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