Explosion rocks Dutch museum before gold masterpieces stolen

Museum officials stated this in a public announcement.

A police report was filed at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday morning, local time, regarding an explosion at the Drents Museum in Assen. Upon their arrival, officers discovered the museum had been damaged and that the gold collection was missing.

A gold helmet from Coțofenești, loaned from the National History Museum in Bucharest, and three Dacian royal bracelets were taken by the thieves. The artifacts were being displayed in the exhibit, "Dacia - Empire of Gold and Silver," the museum said.

"This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are deeply disturbed by the events that occurred at the museum last night. In its 170-year history, a calamity of this magnitude has never happened," said Harry Tupan, director-general of the Drents Museum.

The museum announced that it would be closed this weekend as the police are conducting an investigation.

The Dutch police released a statement.

Police received a 4:15 a.m. report of a car on fire, and found that the vehicle was empty. It's believed that this car may be connected to the explosion and break-in at the museum, and those responsible are thought to have switched to a different vehicle at the scene.

Police are seeking assistance from residents in the area of the museum, potentially especially those with home security cameras or dash cam footage from the time period of 3:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., as well as eyewitnesses who may have observed anything suspicious at the Drents museum within the past few days to contact the authorities.

This is a developing story. Please return and check for any new information.