Karbala police say antiquities smugglers arrested, ancient manuscript book seized

KARBALA — Karbala’s police command said it arrested suspected antiquities smugglers in what it described as a controlled operation carried out by the Organized Crime Directorate, seizing an old book containing rare manuscripts along with electronic devices.

In a statement, police said: “The Organized Crime Directorate has tightened its grip on antiquities smugglers of Arab nationalities.”

Police said the arrests followed “intensified intelligence efforts and monitoring of cross-border antiquities trafficking networks,” with specialized units conducting surveillance and obtaining judicial approvals before carrying out the operation. The suspects were arrested “in the act,” according to the statement.

Police said they seized “an ancient book containing old manuscripts, one laptop computer, and two mobile phones,” adding that authorities filed an official seizure report and referred the suspects to the competent legal bodies.

Iraq’s cultural heritage has suffered extensive losses during decades of conflict. The National Museum in Baghdad was looted in April 2003, with more than 15,000 artifacts stolen. Iraq has since pursued recovery efforts, including a major repatriation from the United States in July 2021 that returned about 17,000 looted artifacts, among them thousands of cuneiform tablets.