Egypt asks US to return 80 stolen artifacts

Egypt State Information Service

A follow up to the story about the Predynastic vessels from Maadi which were smuggled out of the country by a U.S. pilot. Zahi Hawass is due to meet with U.S. officials to discuss matters further, but it seems extremely unlikely that the vessels won't be returned if matters are as clear cut as they have been reported.

Egypt has demanded the US to return 80 artifacts dating back to the pre-dynastic era, which were stolen by a US pilot during a visit to the country, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawwas said after he returned from the United States where he delivered his testimony in a case brought by Egypt against a US pilot accused of smuggling the artifacts from the country.

Hawwas said the antiques were smuggled to the US after they were stolen in 2002 from a university storehouse in Cairo's southern district of Maadi.

An American pilot who was visiting Egypt at the time bought the stolen monuments from an Egyptian, said Hawwas.

The pilot was planning to sell the antiques off to a dealer from Texas, he added.

Hawwas said American investigators are due in Egypt next week in their follow-up of the case.