Chinanews, August 8th. According to Euronet, the Greek Ministry of Culture issued a statement a few days ago that the British side has stolen 12 precious cultural relics stolen in a monastery in Epirus, Greece in 2005. Officially handed over and returned to Greece. It includes a 19th-century icon depicting the baptism of Christ.
According to reports, the statement stated that in June 2017, an archaeologist discovered this baptized Christ icon for sale in a London gallery. Subsequently, the Greek Embassy in the United Kingdom moved quickly and jointly with relevant departments withdrew the icon from the list of works for sale.
The Metropolitan Police in London ordered the gallery to retain the icon until the investigation was completed. Investigation found that this is consistent with the stolen icon of a monastery in Epirus, Greece.
The Hellenic Ministry of Culture stated that organized criminal groups have targeted religious artifacts in the past 25 years. Since 2009, 21 stolen icons have been found and returned to Greece.
The Hellenic Ministry of Culture also stated that two other icons were found when they were sold at an auction house in Germany this year, and their return is still in progress. (Xu Yan)