Dutch police arrest 3 suspects following theft of Romanian art treasures

Dutch police on Wednesday arrested three suspects in connection with the recent theft of Romanian art treasures from the Drents Museum in Assen, a city in the northern Netherlands, reported Xinhua.

The suspects are being interrogated and only permitted to communicate with their lawyers, police said in a statement. Further arrests are not excluded.

The authorities are still searching for a man seen on surveillance footage from a hardware store in Assen a few days before the burglary, whom they consider suspicious.

The theft of four Romanian art treasures, including an ancient Helmet of Cotofenesti, happened last Friday. The artifacts were on loan from the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest, and the golden helmet is considered a cultural icon of Romania.

The theft sent shockwaves through Romania, where the stolen artifacts are considered part of the nation's cultural heritage. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told local media that his government may start a legal action in the Netherlands, citing concerns that the security measures in the Drents Museum may have been insufficient.