13th
Century Antiquities Returned to Saudi Arabia
13th
Century coins were pilfered from Saudi territorial waters in
the Red Sea
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Photo of seized Saudi Arabian coins.
ICE Photo |
WASHINGTON,
DC (ICE) — Department of Homeland Security officials
returned to the Saudi Government 132
pounds of ancient
coins seized in an investigation after being illegally removed
from a shipwreck in the Red Sea.
“Artifacts such as these coins are not trinkets that can
be pilfered and sold to the highest bidder,” said Julie
L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “To their rightful owners,
these artifacts are priceless items that are cherished and proudly
displayed as a testament to their cultural history.”
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ICE
Photo
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“These
coins are treasured artifacts that reflect the cultural heritage
of humanity as well as Saudi Arabia’s unique history as an
ancient trade center and as the birthplace of Islam,” said
Saudi Ambassador Prince Turki Al-Faisal . “Their recovery
and return to the Kingdom is an example of the deep friendship
between Saudi Arabia and the United States and the respect the
U.S. has for cultural heritage.”
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ICE
Photo
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ICE agents in
Miami launched an investigation following a tip that led agents
to a Key West man who admitted to improperly taking the coins while
on a recreational dive in Saudi Arabia in 1994. An Interpol Red
Notice posted by Saudi law enforcement provided additional information
on the coins and the subject.
Records show that the subject communicated in chat rooms that
focused on Islamic coins in order to learn how to restore the
coins and to solicit possible buyers. Agents, acting in an undercover
capacity, engaged the suspect via email eventually identifying
themselves as ICE agents and confronting him in person with the
facts of the case. The subject surrendered the coins to agents
on April 7, 2005 and the coins were administratively forfeited
on July 9, 2005.