Masked thieves wielding Kalashnikovs carried out an armed robbery at the
Archaeological Museum of Olympia on Friday morning. Ancient artefacts were stolen from the museum which is sited next to the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
According to [i
]Ekathimerini two masked thieves smashed their way into the museum with hammers at about 7.30 a.m.
Athens News reported the thieves sprang as a female guard was turning off the alarm system prior to beginning her shift. The thieves held the guard up at gunpoint, tied her to a chair and gagged her, before making off with between 60 and 70 artefacts.
Archaeologists are completing an inventory to assess exactly what has been stolen, whilst police have launched a manhunt. A police official said "The value of the objects stolen has not been estimated yet."
The robbery follows a
break in at the National Gallery in Athens in January, during which a Picasso painting, "The Head of a Woman" was stolen. Cutbacks in security due to the austerity measures have left archaeological sites more vulnerable to thieves.
Pavlos Yeroulanos, Greek Minister for Culture and Tourism, has reportedly resigned following the robbery at Ancient Olympia.
