Greek police arrested on Friday a 55-year-old man in connection with the theft of 10 fossilised footprints which were stolen on earlier this week from the site where they were uncovered in Kissamos, Western Crete, authorities said.
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The vandalised site, showing fresh sand along the edges of the slab where it has been lifted and the holes left
by the removal of two blocks in the centre [Credit: Babis Fassoulas] |
The suspect faces charges of violating laws on protection of cultural heritage. Authorities were able to locate quickly in regions of Kissamos and Thessaloniki all ten fossils. The objects will be send to Chania to be examined by experts.
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| The site has been buried in haste to avoid further thefts [Credit: Babis Fassoulas] |
Ten of some 40 footprints on the site were cut away and removed from the rock where they were found by a Polish paleontologist in 2002. The 5.7-million-year-old fossils are believed to belong to a hominid ancestor of modern humans and their discovery could upend established theories of human evolution.
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| The buried site [Credit: Babis Fassoulas] |
The theft was reported by a member of the public that visited the site on Tuesday and alerted local police, and was later confirmed by the Natural History Museum of Crete. The investigation of the case is continuing.
Source: ANA-MPA [September 15, 2017]
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