Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-05-24

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Antiquities arrests

[01] Antiquities arrests

The deacon was arrested on Saturday after the Swiss collector was found at Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport with human bones in his luggage as he was preparing to fly to Germany.

A police investigation turned up approximately 200 bones in a silver reliquary in the collector's luggage, which were seized, and an examination of the bones found them to be well-preserved and scented with myrrh, while the name of a Saint was written on each.

The bones and reliquary were picked up by the collector from the deacon at Sidirokastro, in order to hand them over to a high-ranking cleric of the German Church, according to the collector in questioning by police.

A search of the deacon's home on Monday by Thessaloniki Security police turned up 10 narcotic pills, 505 bones and 15 skulls on which names of saints were written, as well as a 19th century Byzantine icon, a 19th century Byzantine cross, two Byzantine rings, and five ancient and Byzantine coins which are protected under antiquities laws.

The two men were arrested on charges of violation of the law on antiquities, the law on desecration of the dead, of grand theft, of accepting and disposal of the product of a crime, and on drug charges.

The investigation is continuing into the activities of the two detainees and the origin of the bones, which are being examined by an Archaeology Service anthropologist.

The two were taken before a Thessaloniki prosecutor.

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