'Satanic' Ancient Egyptian artefacts vandalised by conspiracy theorists in Germany

Ancient Egyptian artefacts were among items targeted by conspiracy theorists at three Berlin museums and galleries two-weeks-ago, German media have reported.

Paintings and artefacts - including Egyptian sarcophagi - at the Pergamon Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Neues Museum in the German capital were smeared with an oily substance in the attacks, The Guardian wrote on Wednesday.

Information about the incidents were kept from the public for two weeks as police investigated, but it comes two years after the vandalism of artworks in Athens with an oil-based substance.

Then, two Bulgarian women were arrested after spraying artworks with a mixture of myhrr and oil "because the Holy Scripture says it is miraculous".

The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 21, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Half of Trump voters believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory, a new poll reveals https://t.co/Bh2MHod2ZH — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 21, 2020

Media have linked the recent acts of vandalism to conspiracy theories in Germany stating that the Pergamon Museum hosts a "global satanism scene".

Attila Hildmann, a well-known German conspiracy theorist and vegan book author, has claimed the museum's reconstruction of the ancient Greek Pergamon Altar might be used by Chancellor Angela Merkel to hold "human sacrifices".

The far-fetched story follows a series of conspiracy theories by the self-described "ultra-right-wing" activists - some anti-Semitic in nature - put forward by Hildmann, who has also played a lead role in protests against Covid-19 restrictions.

Some also believe the QAnon conspiracy theory, which has swept through the US and has now made in-roads into some European countries, such as Germany.

Last year, the FBI declared the QAnon movement a domestic terror threat in an internal memo.

Supporters of the conspiracy theory have been linked to several criminal incidents, including the murder of New York mafia boss Frank Cali.

In 2018, a Nevada man was indicted on terrorism charges after driving an armoured vehicle to the Hoover Dam with weapons.