LibyaPolitics

Sirte forces arrests antiquities smuggling gang

Sirte protection force arrested an antiquities smuggling gang on Thursdays.

Spokesman of the forces Salem Al-amil said in statements to 218 that they have been investigating and following this gang since long time, as they [the gang] were based in Shahhat town earlier before moving to Sirte.

He added that this gang operates within a bigger network which has several branches in other Libyan cities.
After arresting the gang, sirte force handed the defendants to the city unite for criminal investigations, to complete the legal investigations and procedures.

Libya is home to many cultural and historical gems varying from temples, tombs, mosques and churches, which were drawn widely from Christian and Islamic history, the Greek and Roman eras, as well as the desert dynasties.

Due to conflicts and the absence of law caused by a struggle between the government and rival factions including the Islamic State (IS), Libya’s cultural and historical treasures have been subjected to looting, vandalism, construction on previously protected sites, and antiquities smuggling as means to fund radical groups.

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