Three persons have been detained by Egyptian authorities for attempting to steal a 10-ton monument of Ramses II that has stood for millennia.
The suspects were discovered using manual digging tools and a crane at a quarry south of the city of Aswan, the Egyptian Public Prosecution reported.
According to the prosecutor’s office, they are suspected of plotting to remove the colossus from the ground and “excavate antiquities in the area.” They also ordered that the three defendants be held in custody for four days while investigations are conducted and asked the police to “quickly investigate others who were involved in the crime.”
The statement further added the Antiquities Authority in Aswan has proven the “antiquity [of the statue] and attributed it to Ramses II, with a weight of approximately 10 tonnes”.
Investigation into the suspects’ mobile phones showed that they had shared videos through social messaging applications showing excavating operations and of what appeared to be ancient statues.
One of the 19th dynasty’s most famous pharaohs, Ramses II, ruled for 67 years. He was renowned for being a great warrior and a prolific builder who oversaw the construction of temples all around Egypt.
Egypt has lost countless antiquities to looters, both individuals and foreign governments that colonised Egypt in the past.
About 29,000 antiquities that had been illegally exported over the past decade have been retrieved by the country.
Author-Roberta Appiah
