Egypt detains three suspects over 'attempt to steal Pharaonic Ramses II statue with crane'

Three Egyptians were detained this week for allegedly attempting to loot a 10-ton colossus of Pharaoh Ramses II in southern Aswan province using a crane.

The suspects reportedly sneaked into the southern quarry area in Aswan to illegally excavate antiquities, prosecutors said in a statement.

The police arrested the suspects on 8 January after they allegedly attempted to lift the statue and excavate other artefacts in the area with heavy equipment, digging tools, and a forklift truck.

Basins from the Greco-Roman period were located in the 34-acre quarry area, and are subject to the Antiquities Protection Law.

Video footage of statues and digging operations were reportedly found on the suspects' phones.

The prosecution ordered a speedy investigation into other suspects who may be involved in the alleged crime.

The Egyptian penal code states that the illegal excavation of antiquities is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Last week, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry announced that Egypt had recovered a sarcophagus lid dating back nearly 2,700 years from the US.

The sarcophagus lid was looted from the Abusir necropolis south of Cairo and then transported to the US in 2008, eventually making its way to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2013.

Over the past decade, Egypt has recovered about 29,000 antiquities found to have been taken abroad through illegal channels.