Spanish police nab 2 in possession of 10,000 stolen artworks

MADRID – Spanish police say they have arrested one person and are investigating another on suspicion they were involved in the theft of around 10,000 art works of great historical or archaeological value.

Officers raided a house in the eastern city of Bullas and seized 4,000 archaeological pieces, 5,000 rare coins, 100 paleontological and ethnographic artefacts, 40 paintings and 30 manuscripts dating from the 16th century.

One document found in the raid is a very rare manuscript written in Latin with gothic lettering and gilded capitals called the “Book of Psalms” dating from the late 14th or early 15th century, a police statement says.

The seized works are believed to have come from at least 15 robberies, the statement says.

Saturday’s statement does not say exactly when the arrests were made.