FBI working with Met Police over missing treasures from British Museum

Hundreds of treasures from the British Museum are believed to have been sold to buyers in America.

The FBI has now launched an investigation into the US buyers of the items, which the museum has claimed ownership of, sold by a ‘collector’ in Washington D.C.

It comes after last year, a staff member at the British Museum was fired after a number of items were found to be ‘missing, stolen or damaged’.

The missing or damaged items include gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD – some of which have now been located in America.

The FBI is understood to be assisting the Metropolitan Police with the missing items – estimated to be at least 1,500, with 626 recovered so far.

One buyer told the BBC that an FBI agent reached out to him, asking for information about two pieces he bought on eBay.

The FBI agent said they were assisting the Metropolitan Police with investigating missing or stolen items from the museum.

A senior curator, Peter Higgs, was accused by the British Museum of stealing, damaging, melting down, and selling ancient artefacts – allegations which he has denied.

Three buyers on eBay have claimed they bought items from ‘sultan1966’, who went by ‘Paul Higgins’ or just ‘Paul’.

Court documents reveal Dr Higgs admitted the eBay account ‘sultan1966’ does belong to him.

The director of the British Museum, Hartwig Fischer, resigned last August after the alleged thefts from the institution.

Mr Fischer said in a statement: ‘Over the last few days I have been reviewing in detail the events around the thefts from the British Museum and the investigation into them.

‘It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021, and to the problem that has now fully emerged.’

The matter is also under investigation by the economic crime command of the Metropolitan Police, but it is understood that no arrests have been made.

British Museum staff were first tipped off in 2020 by an antiquities expert who noticed priceless objects for sale on the online marketplace eBay.

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