Detectives have found $2m of priceless rare books, from original Galileo and Newton texts, hidden underground in Romania after a four year hunt.
The 260 original classics were stolen by a "highly sophisticated international crime group" from a warehouse in London in 2017 before they were due to be shipped to Los Angeles for a book fair.
Despite UK police making 13 arrests the ancient books have remained hidden until this week.
On Wednesday, the Europe-wide hunt for the books, which belonged to individuals from various EU countries, saw a raid executed on a house in Romania.
The search of the property in the county of Neamt led to the discovery of the books buried underground.
They had originally been reported stolen from a warehouse in Felham, west London.
The priceless historical antiques included first editions of Galilea and Newton from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The manuscripts will now be sent to Italy for examination to verify their authenticity.
Last June police in the UK and Romania arrested 15 people and 13 have been charged with conspiring to commit burglaries between December 2016 and April 2019 and to acquire criminal property.
But the breakthrough in the investigation came in January when an international arrest warrant saw the apprehension of the "kingpin" in the operation in Turin, Italy.
"In January further outcomes emerged from this coordinated investigation with the arrest of the kingpin behind the cultural loot," Eurojust said.
"The suspect, a Romanian national wanted by the British authorities, was arrested in Italy and his arrest and collaboration were decisive for the success of this important joint operation.
"The books, which included original editions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, were stolen by a highly sophisticated international organised crime group, known to the authorities for committing a large number of burglaries throughout Europe."
The 40-year-old Romanian has been transferred to the UK for trial.
The heist was allegedly committed by an organised crime group composed of Romanian nationals and led to a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) being set up between the cooperating countries, Italy, the UK and Romania, with the support of Eurojust and Europol.
"This operation is a double success for law enforcement who tracked the suspects down and recovered the stolen treasures before they went for sale," a Eurojust spokesperson said.
"Europol’s Analysis Project FURTUM, which is dedicated to tackling all areas of property crime, was involved and assisted with operational coordination, analytical support and the exchange and sharing of vital information and intelligence to support undercover agents."
During the four-year investigation more than 45 searches of properties have taken place across Europe.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
