Dutch police have arrested three men in connection with a brazen burglary of ancient Romanian artefacts at a museum in northeastern Netherlands after an intensive four-day hunt.
The break-in on Saturday, in which the thieves used explosives to get into the Drents Museum in Assen, has angered Romania and prompted Dutch police to scramble to track down the culprits.
The treasures were on loan from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest and the incident has cost its director his job.
"The suspects are held under strict conditions and are being questioned about their role in the heist," Dutch police said in a statement, adding "further arrests are not being excluded."
The stolen artefacts have not yet been recovered, said the Drents Museum.
The thieves made off with four important Romanian artifacts including the approximately 2,500-year-old golden Helmet of Cotofenesti, a famous piece from the Dacian civilisation.
Three gold bracelets dating from around 50BC were also taken.
The pieces were of "special cultural and symbolic importance" and their disappearance created great anguish in Romania, Bucharest's foreign affairs minister Emil Hurezeanu said.
Dutch police launched a large-scale investigation into the robbery and released a photograph of another suspect wanted in connection with the case.
The Drents Museum welcomed the arrests, which were made in the small northwest Dutch city of Heerhugowaard, about 50km north of Amsterdam.
"The safe return of the artefacts would be an fantastic next step for all involved," the museum said in a statement.
It added: "Not only for us, but also for the Romanian people."
Dutch museums and galleries have been targeted by thieves in the past - including in November when works by artist Andy Warhol were taken, as well as a Van Gogh stolen from a museum in 2020.
The robberies have prompted calls for better security to protect valuable artworks.
