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It is being widely reported that Egyptian authorities have recovered 12 stolen artifacts from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Three suspects were arrested after they tried to sell the rare objects to an American Embassy employee, who agreed to take part in ...There is a back story to this, I met a guy yesterday who'd been approached earlier to take part in this 'sting' and refused, the reason and circumstances surrounding this - taken with other facts - are very, very telling. More later if I can get independent confirmation of what he said. This Cairo Museum Looting story seems to get worse and worse in its implications the more I learn about it.
UPDATE (May 2011):
Confusingly, I noted, but only much later, that Dr Hawass is propagating another story about this on his blog, in a post apparently dated 20th March:
Twelve missing objects returned to the Egyptian Museum, Cairo Twelve of the artifacts missing from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo have been returned, including six bronze statuettes dated to the Late Period, a small limestone statue of a sphinx, and five necklaces. It is unclear if the people who had possession of these antiquities had any relationship with the looters who broke into the museum. They attempted to try and authenticate the objects by contacting a young archaeologist, whose name I have withheld for his own safety, with the goal was of selling the stolen pieces. The archaeologist recognized the objects as those missing from the museum and took photographs with his mobile phone. He contacted the director of the museum and the police, and the people were taken into custody. I believe that the rest of the missing antiquities will be found soon. It will be very difficult to sell any of the missing antiquities, and we will do everything in our power to have them returned.Several things here: "His own safety" from whom? Why were these guys (note number not given) trying to authenticate antiquities from the Museum? Had they just found them lying somewhere? Why did the archaeologist take photos if he intended to report the would-be sellers (and why would the sellers let him)? [Remember the other version was that photos were being distributed by mobile phone which is how the men were caught]. If a young archaeologist led the police to them men, where does the US embassy official come in, and why was my contact approached earlier to take part in a 'sting'? Is the "stone sphinx" really the recumbent bull JE 27324? According to other reports, only five bronze statues were recovered on 17th March, not six.