Pirates pinch £4m hoard of valuable metallic from outer house in simply 4 minutes
Gang did not bother with a ship and sneaked through a museum window to swipe the Treasure of Villena which dates back to 1300BC and includes iron from a meteorite that hit Earth a million years ago
Treasure of Villena (Image: Municipal Archaeological Museum of Villena)
Modern day pirates stole a £4m hoard of gold, silver, amber and meteoric iron from outer space in just four minutes – without needing a ship.
They did not bother hitting the high seas and instead swiped the ancient booty from a museum where it was on display in one of the heists of the century.
The mob climbed through a window to sneak into the Municipal Archeological Museum of Villena, near Brit tourism hotspot Alicante, in south-east Spain, before making off with the gems.
The Treasure of Villena – as the collection is known – was one of the greatest gold finds of the European Bronze Age.
Dating back to 1300BC it comprises 59 objects made of gold, silver, amber and iron together weighing more than 1.5st.
Most are 23.5 carat gold including 11 bowls, three bottles and 28 bracelets.
The iron pieces are among the oldest ever discovered and are said to have come from an early-Universe meteorite which struck Earth a million years ago, according to scientific analysis.
The lot was gone in just 240 seconds.
Gone in 240 seconds(Image: Municipal Archaeological Museum of Villena)
The gang activated the museum’s alarm at 5.20am but had left the building by 5.24am.
According to the local council they were ‘super-fast and super-professional’ and are suspected of setting off a fire alarm in the city’s sports centre at the same time to create a diversion.
Forensic experts are probing the scene.
His voice breaking with emotion, Villena mayor Fulgencio Cerdán said: “They’ve taken most of the treasure.”
“We are absolutely devastated. I’m even trembling.
Alien iron from meteorite nicked(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“The truth is that for those of us from Villena this destroys us. It’s part of our heritage, of our wealth.”
The hoard was discovered by archaeologist Jose María Soler in 1963 in a ship sunk in a dried-up riverbed in Villena.
It is regarded as the second most important find of prehistoric gold in the history of Europe just behind that from the Royal Graves in Mycenae, Greece.
Experts said the historical and cultural value of the haul was incalculable.
It had been insured for £4m but that was only a nominal sum.
The raw bullion value of the hoard’s gold content alone is estimated at £1.5m.
Spain’s Civil Guard was investigating.
