Thieves Steal 600 Imperial Artifacts From UK Museum

A UK collection chronicling Britain's imperial past has become the latest high-profile museum target, with police saying more than 600 artifacts vanished in a single overnight break-in. Avon and Somerset police on Thursday released CCTV images of four men they want to ID in connection with the Sept. 25 burglary from the Bristol Museum's "British Empire and Commonwealth Collection," per CBS News. The footage, taken between 1am and 2am outside a building on Cumberland Road, shows men in caps and hoodies carrying bags.

Investigators described one suspect as stocky in a white cap, another slim in a gray hooded jacket, a third in a green cap who appeared to limp with his right leg, and a fourth in a two-tone puffed jacket. The stolen items form part of a trove documenting Britain's ties with former colonies from the late 1800s to more modern times. According to the collection's website, it includes objects from Pacific islands and clothing from African nations, as well as photos, movies, personal documents, and audio files meant to illuminate "a challenging and controversial period of history," per CBS.

Many of the missing pieces were donations, and case officer Dan Burgan called the loss "significant" for Bristol, as the material offered crucial insight into a complicated chapter of the country's past. The collection was originally held at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum until that institution shut in 2012, after which the collection came under the care of the Bristol City Council, Bristol Museums, and the city archives. The AP notes that it's "unclear why the appeal was being made more than two months after the crime."

The theft adds to a string of recent museum crimes in Europe, including the removal of crown jewels from a Louvre annex in Paris and the robbery of dozens of ancient gold coins from a Swiss museum, per CBS. It also follows the British Museum's disclosure in 2023 that about 1,800 items, including gold jewelry and ancient gems, had been stolen or damaged by a former staff member, prompting the director's resignation. Police in Bristol are urging anyone who recognizes the men in the CCTV images or has information about the whereabouts of the artifacts to contact them.