Three arrested, suspected of stealing antiquities from Tel Megiddo
Police discovered a metal detector and excavation equipment in the suspects' vehicle, and reported locating signs indicating digging nearby.
By TOBIAS SIEGALSome of the stolen antiquities, including ancient coins and rings, found in the suspects' possession, Nov. 9, 2020.(photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Three suspects who allegedly stole antiquities from the Tel Megiddo National Park in northern Israel were arrested on Monday.The suspects were caught during a joint enforcement operation by Border Police officers and volunteers, the Antiquities Authority, Nature and Parks Authority and the security department of the Megiddo Regional Council. The routine operation focused on searching agricultural fields in the Megiddo Regional Council for suspicious activity.The site near Kibbutz Megiddo where the suspects were located and arrested, Nov. 9, 2020 (POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)During the activity, the force identified a vehicle and three individuals waiting suspiciously in a declared antiquities site near Megiddo. Several antiquities including coins, stones, rings and metals were found on the suspects and in their vehicle.The items discovered are believed to have been stolen from the Megiddo National Park. Police discovered a metal detector and excavation equipment in the suspects' vehicle, and reported locating signs indicating digging nearby.The metal detector that was found in the suspects' vehicle, Nov. 9, 2020. (POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)The confiscated antiquities were sent to be processed by the Antiquities Authority. The suspects, three residents of Umm al-Fahm in their 30s, will be interrogated by the authority's investigative team in the following days.The Tel Megiddo National Park is recognized as a World Heritage Site. It is positioned near Kibbutz Megiddo, about 30 km south-east of Haifa, and is best known for showcasing ruins of walls, gates, tombs and temples from centuries-old Canaanite & Israelite settlements.Some of the stolen antiquities, including ancient coins and rings, found in the suspects' possession, Nov. 9, 2020. (POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
