Hours before the sun rose over the Netherlands, the group crowded around the large external door, appearing to pry it open. Seconds later, the grainy security video appeared to show a powerful explosion, sending plumes of smoke and sparks into the air, and the thieves rush into the museum in the north-eastern city of Assen.
Minutes later they were gone. But the mystery of what exactly took place during their few minutes in the Drents Museum – and what came afterwards – has left officials in the Netherlands scrambling for answers, and prompted a row that has stretched to the other side of Europe.
The daring heist took place last Saturday, with police saying they were notified at 3.45am local time. By then, the thieves had made off with a handful of objects, including the near-2,500-year-old gold Helmet of Coțofenești – one of Romania’s most revered national treasures.
Three gold bracelets dating from 50BC were also taken. The items were part of an exhibit, featuring more than 600 artefacts on loan, that had sought to offer visitors a glimpse of the glory of the Dacia civilisation, an ancient agrarian society that once thrived in what is today Romania.
The helmet, in particular, had long been celebrated across Romania as a symbol of the country’s rich history, its image gracing school history textbooks, postage stamps and even a gold coin issued by the country’s national bank.
“The helmet is one of the most popular and well-known ancient gold objects in Romania,” said Andrea Teunissen-Oprea, the honorary consul for Romania in the Netherlands. “Some people here are saying that it’s as if the Dutch would wake up and discover that [Rembrandt’s] The Night Watch was missing.”
Dramatically studded and adorned with intricate designs that depict a lamb being sacrificed and mythical creatures such as a griffin, the helmet was believed to have been used during ceremonies. “It is unique in the world,” said Teunissen-Oprea. “Because there are no written documents from this period, the archaeological discoveries are incredibly important for Romania.”
News of the heist had set off an “uproar” across Romania, she said, as mourning over the potential loss of the objects gave way to fury among the art world, politicians and media.
“Even in our most pessimistic dreams, we would not have believed this to be possible,” said the director of Romania’s National History Museum, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu, earlier this week. He was sacked from his role amid anger that the objects had been loaned out.
The prime minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, mused about claiming “unprecedented damages” from the Dutch museum. He alleged that it was not sufficiently guarded – a claim the Drents Museum rebuffed – as he sprang into action, announcing that Romania would send a team of experts including forensic police officers to help with the investigation, while the loan of the objects would be investigated domestically.
“This is a very serious situation,” he wrote on social media, “but this robbery, which must be resolved swiftly, must not become fuel for the spread of all kinds of conspiracy theories by those who aim to make easy political capital.”
The comment appeared to be a reference to Romania’s far-right AUR movement. Emboldened after its strong showing in the presidential and parliamentary elections in late 2024, the party had seized on the theft to call for government resignations. The robbery was “a direct attack on our national history and identity”, it said.
In the Netherlands, the theft set off a frantic search. Dozens of detectives and specialist officers combed through the scores of tips that had poured into a dedicated hotline. On Wednesday, after a days-long manhunt, police said they had arrested three people.
“The suspects are held under strict conditions and are being questioned about their role in the heist,” said Dutch police, who also released a photograph of another suspect and noted that they had not ruled out further arrests.
The Drents Museum described the arrests as offering a glimmer of hope. “We are awaiting further developments with bated breath,” it said in a statement. “The recovery without damage would be, for all, a fantastic next step. Not only for us, but also for the Romanian population.”
Police said the focus was now on recovering the stolen artefacts. It was in some ways a race against time, as the global headlines over the heist meant the objects were likely now too well-known to be sold as they were, sparking fears the thieves would destroy the priceless objects in an attempt to sell what might amount to only about 1kg of gold.
It would be a relatively small payoff for such a daring feat, said Teunissen-Oprea. “There’s really a question of why they did it. Why only those four things? Because there were 600 other things there.”
She was among the many frantically hoping that the pieces would be found intact. “We are praying that the pieces are found and not melted down,” she said. “It would be a huge loss not only for Romania, but for the entire cultural heritage of Europe.”
