Thieves Steal 3,000-Year-Old Gold From Spanish Museum in Under Four Minutes

Professional thieves stole a collection of 3,000-year-old gold objects on Thursday from a museum in Villena, Spain, completing the raid in as little as three to four minutes.

The haul included bracelets, bowls, bottles and other pieces dating largely from the Bronze Age, around 1,000 BC. The collection is regarded as one of the most important groups of gold objects from the period.

A Raid Measured in Minutes

The theft took place in the early hours of Thursday in Villena, a medieval town near Alicante in the Valencia region.

Police were first alerted at 5:23 a.m. after an alarm sounded at a local sports center, according to Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán. A second alarm at the museum followed minutes later.

The thieves arrived in two vehicles and gained access through a museum window.

Once inside, they needed only three to four minutes to remove the objects.

During their escape, the group dropped a small gold crown belonging to a statue of the Christ Child, Cerdán said.

Civil Guard Examines Images

Spain’s Civil Guard is investigating the operation, which authorities believe was carried out by professional thieves.

“We can’t reach any conclusions, but we have all the images,” said Francisco Poyato, a chief colonel of the Civil Guard.

“We know there were several people, several vehicles, and we are analyzing all the information.”

Investigators are examining footage and other material from the scene as they attempt to establish how the group planned and carried out the raid.

Bronze Age Collection Targeted

The treasure was discovered in 1963 and contains objects dating back roughly 3,000 years.

Its Bronze Age gold pieces have been compared in importance with objects found in the royal tombs of Mycenae in Greece. Gold objects from other periods were also taken.

The metal value of the stolen objects could reach €1.7 million, or about $2 million, according to Cerdán. Their historical importance, he said, makes the collection impossible to value in purely financial terms.

“We are absolutely devastated, I’m shaking as I speak,” Cerdán said. “This is part of our heritage.”

The Villena theft follows other museum robberies in Spain and abroad, including the theft of historic French crown jewels from the Louvre last year.