US Federal Authorities Return 48 Antiquities to the Egyptian Government - Sarmad
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) returned dozens of looted Egyptian antiquities, including jewelry, decorative items, and ancient inscriptions, to representatives of the Egyptian government during a ceremony held yesterday, Friday, in Los Angeles.
Among the items returned to Egypt were jewelry, statues, sculptures, amulets, funerary equipment, and ancient inscriptions, along with other artifacts dating to the Pharaonic, Roman, and Coptic periods, according to the FBI.
Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said that with the assistance of the U.S. Department of State, archaeological experts, and the FBI’s legal attaché in Cairo, it was confirmed that all 48 items belong to Egypt and that the Egyptian people have the right to their repatriation.
Grandy added that the suspect in the smuggling of these antiquities has died, noting that the case remains open while authorities work to identify potential accomplices and locate other artifacts that may have been acquired illegally.
For his part, Hossam Ali, Egypt’s Consul General in Los Angeles, said in his speech that “these returned antiquities represent a fundamental part of Egypt’s history, cultural heritage, and people, and we are extremely happy and proud to see them returned to their homeland.”
He added: “Egypt looks forward to further constructive and robust bilateral cooperation in the cultural sector and beyond.”
Cross-Border Illegal Trafficking
According to the FBI, the illegal trafficking of cultural property serves as a source of funding for transnational criminal and terrorist organizations, while also undermining the integrity of the art and antiquities market in the United States.
In 2016, the United States and Egypt signed an agreement concerning cultural property, which allows the imposition of U.S. import restrictions on certain categories of archaeological and ethnological materials originating from Egypt.
Officials stated that the agreement establishes a framework for identifying, seizing, and returning illegally trafficked cultural property, while encouraging the lawful exchange of artifacts for cultural, educational, and scientific purposes.
According to the FBI, U.S. law enforcement agencies have returned more than 5,000 archaeological and cultural artifacts to Egypt over the past ten years.
