Hiker helps detain antiquities robbers

Members of an antiquity robbing gang were detained near Tzippori, North Israel, after a hiker spotted suspicious digging in the area of  an antiquities site.

One of the detained individuals (by Israel Antiquities Authority)

Officers of the Israel Antiquities Authority arrested three men, all residents of Nazareth, after a short chase on foot. Digging tools used in illegal activities were also discovered. Tzippori, also known as Sepphoris, is located about six kilometres from Nazareth in the Galilee region and is known for its archaeological diversity, with findings with Hellenistic, Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Arabic and Ottoman influences. In Israel damaging an archaeological site is a crime punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.

Entrance to the underground system of corridors used by the robbers (by Israel Antiquities Authority)

(after Israel Antiquities Authority, The Times of Israel & The Jerusalem Post)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.