Romanian man sneaked into Drents museum days before Dacian treasure theft, Dutch press says

A Romanian man sneaked into the museum five days before the theft of the Cotofenești Helmet and the Dacian gold bracelets from the Drents Mu...

A Romanian man sneaked into the museum five days before the theft of the Cotofenești Helmet and the Dacian gold bracelets from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands.

The new information, revealed from the criminal case by Dutch RTL Nieuws, shows that Andrei B. is believed to have connections with a gang that steals works of art on commission. It is not clear if he was involved in the theft, however. 

“The investigative team suspected that the man may have conducted a preliminary investigation before the actual break-in,” the Dutch journalists say.

However, the man is not under arrest and is not one of the three suspects in the art theft, who are to appear in court in Assen for a preliminary hearing.

Andrei B. reportedly entered the Drents Museum on the morning of January 20 without buying a ticket. With a large sports bag on his shoulder, he headed toward the wing where the exhibition “Dacia, the Empire of Silver and Gold” was taking place. He calmly viewed various objects, and then security guards escorted him out of the museum. 

After the art theft on January 25, a receptionist from the City Hotel De Jonge in Assen recognized the Romanian from leaked footage. A few days earlier, B. had tried to book a room at the hotel, but when he was asked to pay in advance and his debit card was declined, he left. 

The police in northern Netherlands managed to locate the Romanian and questioned him on January 28, initially as a witness. Andrei B. stated that he did not know he had entered a museum. He claimed he thought it was a Dacia car dealership until he came across the Romanian art treasures.

International police information revealed that the Romanian “regularly visited” the owner of two Italian restaurants in southern Germany. According to Romanian authorities, this restaurant owner was the coordinator of “a team of thieves who stole artworks on commission.” 

The first preliminary in the criminal case concerning the stolen Romanian treasures will take place this week. The three main suspects are Bernhard Z. (35), Douglas W. (36), and Jan B. (21), residents of North Holland. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, they are responsible for the theft of the artifacts, which was a violent one. The thieves used an explosive to break open a door in the exhibition wing of the Drents Museum and smashed the display cases with a sledgehammer. 

In addition to three gold bracelets, the thieves also stole the famous Cotofenești Helmet, a unique gold helmet from the Dacian Empire, dating back to 500 BC. The helmet and bracelets had been loaned from the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest and were insured for nearly EUR 6 million. That amount has since been paid out to the Romanian state.

The Prosecutor’s Office refused to answer RTL Nieuws’ questions about Andrei B. The Drents Museum also refused to comment on questions about how Andrei B. managed to enter the museum without a ticket. “We do not comment on security matters,” a spokesperson said.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Drents Museum on Facebook)