US police investigate Wembanyama security's incident with Britney Spears

Las Vegas police said on Thursday they had investigated an incident between French NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama's security and pop star Britney Spears.

Wembanyama is in Las Vegas ahead of his first game in the NBA Summer League against Charlotte on Friday and was heading to a restaurant when he was spotted by fans – and Spears.

Media reports said that Spears was pushed away by Wembanyama's security team, whom the singer's husband Sam Asghari called “violent” and “out of control”.

Celebrity news website TMZ said that Spears was in a crowd of people entering the restaurant close to Wembanyama and was struck in the face, with her glasses flying off.

Wembanyama told reporters after practice that he only heard of Spears's involvement some hours after his dinner.

“There was one person who was calling me but we talked before with the security [to not] stop because it's going to make a crowd,” said the Frenchman.

“That person was calling me 'sir, sir' and that person grabbed me from behind, so I didn't see what happened because I was walking straight.

“I don't know with how much force but security pushed her away and I didn't stop to look so I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner.”

The Las Vegas Police Department investigated the incident but did not take any action.

“On July 5, 2023, at approximately 11pm, LVMPD officers responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation,” the police said in a statement.

“The incident has been documented on a police report and no arrest or citations have been issued. No further details will be provided at this time.”

“The violent behaviour of an out-of-control security guard should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise @wemby,” he wrote.

“I can't imagine a scenario where an unarmed female fan, showing any kind of excitement or appreciation for a celebrity would cause her to be physically assaulted, much less being hit in the face for tapping someone on the shoulder.”

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950