U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland said his country is proud to support the return of Libya’s cultural heritage, thanking Manhattan District Attorney and U.S. Department of Homeland Security “for their efforts to protect and return valuable heritage that belongs in Libya.”
The Libyan Embassy in Washington DC also announced “the return of two antiquities to their home in Libya,” thanking Manhattan District Attorney and U.S. Department of Homeland Security “for their extensive investigation, as a result of the MoU between Libya and U.S.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Wednesday the return of two antiquities collectively valued at more than $500,000 to Libya.
The artifacts, “Veiled Head of a Lady” and “Bust of a Bearded Man,” were both looted from the ancient city of Cyrene, which faced rampant looting in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s shortly before the appearance of the pieces on the international art market, according to the Attorney’s office.
The items were returned during a repatriation ceremony attended by the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Libya in DC Khaled Daief, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Alfonso. “Yesterday’s handover was just one part of U.S.-Libyan efforts to protect Libya’s rich heritage,” U.S. Embassy in Libya quoted Norland.
