In the Elah Valley near Beit Shemesh, antiquities robbers were reportedly caught red-handed by the Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Theft in the Israeli Antiquities Authority while digging at an archaeological site, where they were attempting to plunder archaeological finds for sale. It is aleged that the three men had dug a pit 3 m deep through archaeological layers. They were reportedly equipped with various digging implements and a metal detector with which they hoped to locate and steal ancient coins and other saleable items. Hebrew site, 'Antiquities Robbers Caught Red Handed' Arutz Sheva, 06/14/2011 - which is also the source of the upper vignette (if that is their hole, where is the spoil heap?).According to archaeologist Alon Klein, who commanded the operation, the gang had been digging in at least three other sites that all contain Jewish artifacts from the 2nd Temple, up to 70 C.E. and Bar-Kochba Rebellion, ca. 132 C.E. periods. These criminals had specialized in identifying and discovering these sites. "They came on foot from a distance of many kilometers and remained in Israeli sovereign territory illegally, then fell upon the antiquities sites without mercy and caused terrible damage," according to Klein. "I am pleased that we managed to catch this gang and stop the vandalizing of our historical heritage. The robbers don't care at all about history, they are merely searching for the findings in order to sell them to the highest bidder on the market."
