Yemeni artifacts redline

The security authorities caught a Canadian citizen with nearly 200 artifacts dating back to the Stone Age at Sana’a airport last Thursday, said a security official.

The source also said that the authorities are undergoing an investigation, pending a decision to be reached Thursday evening.

Hisham al-Thawr, manager of the unit of protecting artifacts, told the Yemen Observer that they would assess the artifacts that were seized from the Canadian to evaluate their value and decide on how to proceed with the case. “If the artifacts are of high value, the suspect will be referred to the court.

If not, the security authorities have right to send the suspect to his home country without possibility to return to Yemen,” al- Thawer said. 

“We have been keeping the artifacts and the suspect with the security of the airport,” he added, however another source said that the Criminal Investigation  Authority released the man already.

Ali Mana’a, manager of artifacts offices in the airport, told the Yemen Observer that the suspect works for a petroleum company and was caught while he was on his way to Europe on a flight of Lufthansa airways.

This incident has happened despite the Yemen Observer’s warning to foreigners to not accept or purchase such artifacts.   Last week a French expatriate working for another petroleum company was arrested in Sana’a airport and referred to the court in charges of smuggling 31 pieces of artifacts and was released on bail for health reasons last Monday while his trial is continuing. 

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