Queensland police announced on Saturday that “priceless” Egyptian artefacts had been stolen from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archeology in Caboolture, Moreton Bay, near Brisbane.
Just two days later, a 52-year-old man was arrested and charged with theft, and the objects were returned to the museum’s care.
The looting was reminiscent of the 2025 Louvre Heist. Police said the suspect smashed a museum window and made off with several items from its ancient Egypt exhibit. The stolen artefacts included a rare painted wooden Egyptian cat figure from the 26th Dynasty, a 3300-year-old necklace, and a mummy mask verified by the British Museum.
Other objects – including a ring and a funerary figurine known as an ushabti – were damaged during the break-in.
Michael Strong, the Abbey Museum’s senior curator, said the stolen items had sustained significant damage during the theft.
“It’s going to take quite a substantial amount of time and expense to repair the damage that’s happened,” Strong said in a statement.
Although police initially suspected organised crime, they later described the heist as “quite amateurish.” The theft took place around 3 am on Friday.
After a two-day search, officers located the suspect in possession of one of the stolen artefacts and arrested him at around 7 pm on Saturday. The remaining objects were found in a camper van parked at a nearby ferry terminal in Moreton Bay.
The man, who has been kept anonymous, has since been charged with breaking and entering, and three counts of wilful damage. He is due to appear in the Cleveland Magistrates Court this coming Monday.
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