Dutch Police have arrested the three men who had stolen the ancient Romanian artefacts from the Drents Museum in Assen, after a four-day investigation after breaking into the museum by using explosives on Saturday.

Among the treasures pilfered were the 2,500-year-old golden Helmet of Cotofenesti and three gold bracelets dating to about 50 BC, on loan from Romania’s National History Museum in Bucharest. The outrage has resulted in the dismissal of the museum’s director.

The suspects are being detained in strict conditions and questioned over their involvement, said the Dutch police. Authorities do not rule out further arrests while the artefacts remain unrecovered.

The burglary led to an extensive investigation into the heist, and earlier on Wednesday, the Dutch police released an image of another suspect connected to the case. The arrests were carried out in Heerhugowaard, some 50 kilometers north of Amsterdam.

Drents Museum officials have welcomed the arrest but hoped that the pieces were recovered in good condition since this is an item of importance for the museum both culturally and historically, not just for Romania.

Art detective Arthur Brand quoted as saying, “Given how fast they were caught, there is a very good chance that the artifacts are undamaged.”.

This is the latest in a string of high-profile arts thefts. Last November 2024, artworks from Andy Warhol were stolen from a gallery in Oisterwijk and in 2020, a painting of Van Gogh was taken from another Dutch museum.