Dutch police recover Romanian gold helmet stolen in Drents Museum heist: Art detective
The Dutch police have recovered the Helmet of Cotofenesti, a Romanian treasure stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen in January last year, art detective Arthur Brand announced on X. Sources also told Dagblad van het Noorden and RTL Nieuws that the stolen treasures have been recovered.
The Dutch authorities have not confirmed this, but the Public Prosecution Service (OM) has announced a press conference at 2:00 p.m. to announce “new developments” in the case. The Drents Museum’s website states that the museum is closed today due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
During the early hours of January 25, 2025, thieves set off an explosion at the Drents Museum on Brink in Assen and forced their way inside. They stole the helmet of Cotofenesti and three golden bracelets, which were on loan to the museum from Romania for an exhibition.
According to RTL’s sources, the authorities recovered the helmet, which is slightly damaged, and two bracelets.
The treasures were insured for €5.7 million. The Dutch government is responsible for that amount. Experts had warned the Dutch museum ahead of time that the glass case protecting the helmet was not strong enough.
Three suspects are in custody for the heist: Jan B. (21), Douglas Chesley W. (37), and Bernhard Z. (35), all from Heerhugowaard. Their trial starts on April 14.
A fourth suspect is no longer in custody and will stand trial at a later date. Prosecutors dropped the charges against three other suspects.
