2,500-year-old gold helmet stolen last year in the Netherlands found

Getic helmet belonging to a prince. 4th century BC. Found at Cotofenesti-Varbilau, Romania. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Dutch authorities on Thursday showed off a recovered priceless gold 2,500-year-old helmet from Romania that was stolen last year during a brazen heist in the Netherlands.

Flanked by balaclava-clad police officers, a spokesman for Dutch prosecutors unveiled the 5th-century BC golden Helmet of Cotofenesti and two of the three gold bracelets stolen in January 2025.

Dutch police officer Corien Fahner said: “the Cotofenesti helmet and two Dacian gold bracelets have been returned and we are delighted to be able to announce this.”

The search for the third bracelet is ongoing, said Fahner.

The theft had sparked outrage in Romania and prompted a huge police search.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand had confirmed the find to AFP hours earlier on Thursday.

“It’s amazing. It’s the best news we could have got,” said Brand.

A gang of robbers used firework bombs to break into the Drents Museum in the northern Netherlands in January 2025, and smashed display cases inside.

Three men are on trial for the theft but have largely remained silent in court.

Brand said he and police have been working their contacts to persuade the alleged robbers to hand over the helmet in exchange for a more lenient punishment.

“We were pretty sure it had not been melted down because there were only four days between the robbery and the arrests,” said Brand.

“It’s a fantastic job by the Dutch police.”

Museum director Robert van Langh told reporters that there was a tiny bit of damage to the helmet, “very difficult even to see.”

The helmet can be “completely restored to its original state,” said van Langh, who added that the two bracelets were in “perfect condition.”

Under huge pressure from Romania, Dutch authorities have made multiple attempts to convince the suspects to tell them where the treasures are stashed.

Police offered to halve the sentence of one suspect if he revealed the location of the helmet.

An undercover officer posing as a criminal mastermind reportedly offered another suspect 400,000 euros ($420,000) to tell him where the booty was hidden.

Police have also offered a reward of 100,000 euros for information leading to the helmet’s recovery.

‘People are devastated’

The theft and the search for the Dacian artefacts has gripped the Netherlands and regularly makes headline news.

In the aftermath of the theft, then Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu voiced outrage that “priceless objects” had been stolen and was considering claiming “unprecedented damages.”

“You have no idea what the impact of this is on the Romanian community,” Romanian cultural journalist Claudia Marcu, who has lived in the Netherlands since 2003, told public broadcaster NOS.

“When I heard about the theft I thought: for the Dutch this would be like (Rembrandt’s) ‘The Night Watch’ being stolen. People are devastated.”

The Dutch government had set aside 5.7 million euros ($6.5 million) for a likely payout following the brazen theft.

The pieces were on loan from a Bucharest museum, whose head was promptly sacked for lending the works out in the first place.

Dutch museums and galleries have been targeted by thieves in the past -- including in November when works by artist Andy Warhol were taken, as well as a Van Gogh stolen from a museum in 2020.

The heists have prompted calls for better security to protect valuable artworks.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu described the find as “extraordinary news.”

“It is so important not to give up when something is so valuable to multiple generations,” said the minister.

Richard Carter, AFP