Thieves stole more than 1,000 items belonging to a museum in Oakland, California, authorities said this week, including historic artifacts and jewelry.
Local officials are working with the FBI to investigate the burglary, which took place earlier this month at an off-site storage facility owned by the Oakland Museum of California.
The Oakland police department said in a statement on Wednesday that on 15 October, just before 3.30am, individuals broke into the facility and stole hundreds of items from the collection. The missing pieces included artifacts such as Native American baskets, ivory carvings and daguerreotypes, as well as laptops.
“The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” Lori Fogarty, the executive director and CEO of the Oakland Museum of California, said in a statement. “Most of these objects have been given to the Museum by generous donors. We are working in close partnership with the City of Oakland, the Oakland Police Department, and the FBI to see that these objects are returned.”
The San Francisco Bay Area museum first opened in 1969 and houses more than 2m objects, including “seminal artworks”, historical artifacts and natural specimens, according to the OMCA website, and offers programs that aim to “explore and reveal the factors that shape California character and identity”.
Fogarty told reporters on Wednesday that there were no staff in the off-site facility at the time it was burglarized and that workers discovered the burglary the morning of 16 October, Oaklandside reported. It appeared to be “more of a crime of opportunity than a strategic strike”, she said.
The police department is investigating the burglary with the FBI’s art crime team, a “highly specialized” unit of roughly 20 agents that investigate theft, fraud and antiquities and cultural property trafficking, the Oakland police department said.
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The news broke shortly after the robbery of the Louvre in Paris made headlines around the world. Authorities made additional arrests in connection with that case on Thursday.
