|
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY May 7, 2003 ICE AGENTS AND U.S. MILITARY FORCES RECOVER SOME WASHINGTON, DC—The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, today announced that teams of ICE special agents working in Iraq with the U.S. military have recovered roughly 700 artifacts and located 39,400 manuscripts missing from the National Museum in Baghdad. "The recovery of these items was the direct result of a superb, cooperative effort between U.S. law enforcement, the U.S. military, and the Iraqi people," said Michael J. Garcia, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "While we are pleased with the results thus far, there is clearly more work to be done. ICE agents will continue hunting down looted Iraqi artifacts both at home and abroad." At the request of the U.S. Central Command, ICE deployed teams of special agents to the Middle East before hostilities began in Iraq. The ICE teams were embedded with U.S. military units to conduct a variety of investigative operations in the region. After reports of looting from Iraqi museums first surfaced, ICE agents in Iraq proposed an immediate art recovery effort with the U.S. military. The joint operation was approved and launched. Upon arrival at the museum in Baghdad, ICE agents and U.S. military officials promptly began working with Iraqi art curators to catalogue items missing from the museum. ICE agents also began sleeping in the museum at night in an effort to assist the U.S. military in protecting the museum from further looting. In addition, ICE agents and U.S. military officials launched an informational campaign in Iraq designed to prompt the return of looted items and to demonstrate the U.S. government’s resolve to restore these items to the Iraqi people. As part of the campaign, ICE agents put out word to the Iraqi public of potential rewards and amnesty for anyone voluntarily returning artifacts. The U.S. team soon began receiving missing artifacts. As this campaign progressed, ICE agents developed sources in Iraq that had information on the location of other missing artifacts. ICE agents learned that many missing items had actually been stored for safekeeping in hidden storage rooms (vaults) prior to the start of hostilities. In recent days, ICE agents and U.S. military officials have located/breached several of these vaults and recovered missing artifacts. In a few of the storage vaults, ICE agents found evidence that certain, select high-value pieces had been stolen. ICE agents have identified the location of other facilities believed to contain artifacts. Working with the U.S. military, ICE agents have also developed sources that have provided leads about missing Iraqi artifacts turning up in foreign nations and missing artifacts being offered for sale in Iraq. ICE agents are actively pursuing all these leads. Without a computerized inventory of its items, the Iraqi National Museum has thus far been able to positively confirm only a relatively small number of high-value artifacts as missing/stolen. Nevertheless, ICE agents and U.S. military officials have been working to catalogue these confirmed missing items. ICE agents are sharing this data with the international law enforcement and art communities to assist in recovery efforts. Earlier this week, ICE agents participated in the Interpol conference in Lyon, France with the U.S. Attorney General and representatives from law enforcement agencies from around the globe in an effort to disseminate photos and information on missing Iraqi artifacts and assist in recovery strategies. Last month, ICE initiated Operation Iraqi Heritage, which is designed to identify cultural items looted from Iraq; detain and seize such items; authenticate their value; and prosecute those involved in the transportation of such goods. ICE is working closely with the U.S. Military, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Justice, Interpol, UNESCO, the British Museum, and other entities in this initiative. Operation Iraqi Heritage is being coordinated through the ICE Cybersmuggling Center in Virginia. Anyone with information on the possible smuggling of stolen Iraqi artifacts and manuscripts is encouraged to call 1-800-BE-ALERT. ### |
Last Modified 05/08/2003