2023-09-26 06:39:14
Two Flemings from Antwerp are suspected of trafficking archaeological objects in Turkey. Kim and Warre were arrested when they tried to fly home on Saturday, September 16. In their suitcase, the police found three stones which, they believe, came from a museum. However, the couple claims to have collected these stones on a vacant lot in Manavgat, a town known for its waterfalls.
The couple was quickly put in an airport cell while the stones were sent to a museum for analysis. An investigation has been opened. At Het Laatste Nieuws, Warre says he is very worried and looks back on the events: “On Saturday, we arrived at the airport around 7 p.m. Our suitcase went through the scanner, as usual, but a customs officer took it out of the belt to inspect it (…) We opened our luggage and he immediately grabbed a stone that we had found and wanted take home as a souvenir.” That’s when the police told them they could be artifacts. Turkish authorities believed the couple had stolen the stone from a museum, when it was just picked up from an empty lot in Manavgat.
“During their stay, they had innocently picked up a stone that they wanted to place in their aquarium,” explained one of their relatives. The couple was therefore unable to board! “They had to wait in a cell on a chair at the airport to be brought to justice. There too, they had to wait for hours,” said the person.
The Belgians are suspected of “archaeological trafficking”. “I have to wait in Antalya and I’m not allowed to fly home. I have to wait for my trial,” Kim explains.
This Monday, we learned that experts appointed by the Turkish authorities have delivered their opinion. According to them, one of the stones would indeed be an archaeological object, as reported by local media Arkeolojik Haber. For Kim, “it’s speculation. The expertise is not yet complete. According to our Turkish lawyers, it is still too early to conclude that it is an archaeological artifact.” The couple faces up to 10 years in prison.
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