Overview
- Syrian authorities have kept the museum closed during an active investigation and inventory of its classical wing.
- Officials told the Associated Press that the break-in occurred Sunday night and was discovered Monday when a door was found broken.
- Accounts of what was stolen conflict, with several reports citing six small Roman-era Venus statues and another source describing gold ingots.
- The culture ministry briefly posted, then deleted, a notice listing the Venus statues with images and catalogue numbers as social media photos circulated.
- Several guards and employees were detained for questioning and released, and UNESCO recently noted security deficiencies at the museum.