federer said that he was still experiencing problems with his knee, but hope to return to action later in the year. and with that, now you're up to date here on data. be news. i'm sarah kelly in berlin. thank you so much for joining us. there's always more on our website, t, w dot com and also on social media to care. the news women in asia. that's me. we'll put all the money and lunch and on the voices. the only way i can be on top is to create my own empire, the women asia this weekend

on the w the it took 6 months of negotiations was finally we were granted permission to film the cargo targeting unit and work here at schall to go to airport, provided we don't show their faces. the customs officers are a highly trained team. they hunt for suspicious cargo among the 2500000 tons of goods passing through the international air every year. they're mainly looking for cocaine, heroin, and counterfeit goods. but increasingly, are also on the hunt for another illegal and lucrative product. antiquities smuggled out of countries porn by violence and war. now and i mean, if you're, we're interested in the cargo of a flight from africa,

we want to check whether the items are older or more recent. we don't know much about the people involved. so we want to dig a bit. i import of antiquity smuggled in from areas under terrorist control has been illegal in france since 2016 in his hand made real. let's be extra careful. these are the shipping papers supporting documents, certificates of origin and provenance, invoices, they'll determine whether or not we take control of the good news, the country of origin. when the comical molly. okay, bring me the documents will open the crate. what molly has been mired in wars in

2012, the officials want to give the shipment a close look. help us in this year as animals can it's a false alarm, although this object looks old, it was made quite recently. now that's also we pay special attention to conflict. we have to examine the item to determine whether it's an antique or not. i don't know when and if we're not sure we get in touch with the expert. what she fails. customs officers are especially interested in antiquities from the middle east, including areas that were recently still under control of the atlantic state. looted antiquities helped fund their war chest. the sculptor marble slabs from syria were seized in 2016. they were headed for sale and asia. ah, much more. when we checked, we found

a wooden crate that supposedly contained garden decor, shawna. when we opened it, we could see objects that were antiquities, their marbles dating from between the 14th and the 16th century isn't this isn't so they are intact, which makes them exceptionally valuable for me. experts have estimated their value at 250000 euros. mm hm. pushing, given the timeframe and the secrecy involved looted are probably finance to terrorist activities. terrorist groups are funding themselves by trafficking in cultural, entered what is always the stolen artifacts have been named what antiquity in the middle east and north africa . recent wars have cost untold lives and have given rise to a black market that has helped to fund islamic terrorist groups. ah,

what do you see? seen 1200 going once sold 423000 over the illegal trade. that totals and hundreds of millions of euro's a year sold. this carving was confiscated in london and was to be listed for 1500000 euros. this one here was listed at 220000 heroes, was intercepted by police in the u. s. ah, in order to put this type of shady business to an in a group of archaeology, students are helping police ah, how can an artifact appear on the market in the midst of award? without anyone wondering, without any response from the auction houses, from ancient cities in libya, someone dug here. the tomb was clearly alluded to the art galleries of paris and

online dealers. the hello are you interested in anything? in particular? we spend an entire year on the trail of these are traffickers infiltrating online chat routes. we're plunderers and middle men applied their illegal trade. the how do these antiquities cross international borders? are some dealers complicit in the funding of terrorism? you sold objects from libya, which is a war zone that's not true. it was the cultural event of the season in exhibition at the fulton blow palace, south of paris, a royal setting worthy of market collection. the

we have extra security to match the occasion the, the works of them from the private collection of shakes. ahmad bid abdulla tawny, a member of guitars, royal family, and cousin to the current mirror. the wealthy collector also financed the restoration of the ballroom. chandeliers, one artifact catches r. i a bronze ibex, more than 2000 years old. it's listed, it's coming from south arabia or what is now yemen, a country mired and civil war. so 2014. we checked the catalog. it's only been exhibited once before in beijing. again, as part of the all thought collection, there is no mention of a previous owner. it's a stunning work of art. but could the bronze ibex be a stolen antiquity?

the curator says he's verified its origins because of the i think you're concerned that i worked with the curator of the l. fun the collection. most surely i trust the documentation given to us by the collections cure. i thought it was, i thought that i could extra me. oh would. as it turns out, the felt a little curator had been alerted. the question surrounding the ibex journey sheet . got a prominent french archaeologist, had warned the curator of its dubious providence. he had even emailed him the day before the opening. i wanted to tell you that a number of objects from this collection are without a doubt the result of archaeological looting carried out these past 15 years and yet in particular, a bronze ibex. the young

i back comes from the archaeological site of mariama, which is situated in a valley in the center of present day yemen. and actually there were never any excavations. there are security reasons to secure archeologists shouldn't go there without risking abduction or risk. don't use these are the ruins of the ancient town or the ibex was found. the photos were taken by many archaeologists. the only one who can access the site . oh, don't prove what she could. you can see here that the marianna temple, what illegally excavated. i don't, it's hard to establish when these illegal digs took place. and if we promised you don't get there right on the looters took advantage of the chaos situation and yemen a little more. so this whole around 10 meters deep gave the looters access to the temple where the ibex was found. buckets used during the excavation were simply

discarded. despite the the ologist morning fontainebleau palace exhibited the bronze ibex. a year later we encountered the bronze ibex and tokyo, the japanese capital is a hotspot on the international art market. and exhibition and works from the autonomy collection is opening at the national museum. the bronze ibex is also on display. i mean, jeffrey, curator of the all funny collection is also here. he's in charge of acquisitions and never goes anywhere without his public relations officer she come out really embodies the true spirit of a collector is 100. stringham applies things from a number of different sources. of course, are reputable dealers, sometimes buying directly from the collections often at auction. so perhaps we can

continue over here. this section of the exhibition looks at nature and animals and the, the green one. there is no doubt about the origin. it was from the site which was luton. so now i think any information that was there with, obviously the thoroughly but i think being able to get hold of that information is probably a conversation. how is the why would you just explain how each other i don't think in front of a camera? these conversations are best carried on? i think the best thing is that we look into any information we did this project because you do it information or not. i don't personally, however, i know that everything is acquired with, with the due diligence and that before the pieces work part may have been published by a very big name in the field. and i really go back to him. he's well known and he

could me, ah, in france, such questions about the provenance of an antiquity face and uphill battle me under french law, a purchase circle, act in good faith will not be prosecuted. even in the case of looted antiquities, all that's needed is a receipt of purchase. and as soon as it's exhibited in a well known museum alluded, antiquity takes on the veneer of respectability and becomes easier to sell as it keeps changing, hands moving from public exhibitions to art galleries, determining its true origin becomes more difficult, though not impossible to researchers have made it their mission to uncover trafficking in looted antiquities. archaeology professor saw me

show and doctoral student morgana basic. they specialize in researching, looted, artworks that are sold by galleries or online. and i saw michelle is training an army of students from all over the world. are going to make sure that collectors want unique pieces. what no one else has it, but there's a 3rd as possible, you know, get this information from us. he hopes the students will go on to raise the alarm about the problem. french customs officers and police often call on the to researchers in more gulf, as the specialty is busts and statues from libya, the country that is over the past 10 years seen more than its share of war and conflict. the antiquities self or tens, or even hundreds of thousands of euro's the this morning. he's on his way to brussels in between his university seminars. he conduct search into

the european antiquities trade, the who it's a race against time in a week and object might move to another country and disappear the but how can researchers prove that an antiquity was looted? luckily, in the case of libyan statues, some characteristic details make identification easier. the busts and statues share a distinctive form and drapery. and the reddish stain on the marble comes from the soil that enveloped them for 2000 years. he has worked together with several european police forces and has been quite the help thanks to his expertise around a dozen questionable antiquities have already been seized in europe and in the

united states. he's conducting research in brussels because the city has become a hub for our traffic in the 8 and in part by legal standards that are less stringent than in france struggling. we are going to the main antique shops to see what they are selling. and if we can find anything that looks interesting, some of this shock draws his attention. there is a bust with a red stain on the marble in the window. we begin to film using a hidden camera. to avoid drawing the dealer's attention. we're posing as potential buyers. hello. hello. how are you? on warfare we're looking for a gift for our grandfather who is

a collector. and if you do that, we're not exactly expert on you broke. i'm going to look how subtle this is incredible. the. this is the botched mar gone desi. exported. it's listed at $9500.00 euros mac to come. so where did the red marks come from? the probably due to the type of soil therein the stone. i won't go away to the seller doesn't mention the bust is from libya. he points to another bust which has the same characteristic red stain. so this one comes from egypt, right? what about that one? it must be from when at least the call right? it would have in the middle east as a vast region to vast by law, the dealer should know the precise origin of the antiquities. he's selling me

suddenly, the dealer offers to cut the price by a $1000.00 euros. i can tell you that one by 8500 or okay. instead of 9005 a mess. thank you. we'll be in touch on is the dealer telling the truth? put the bus said come from egypt or the middle east as he claims the children. they're not addiction or from the middle east there, sir, and i can hear again, they're definitely libyan sculpture for they both come from eastern libya. so how, where are these antiquities removed? from libya, the we come to the in godaddy in eastern libya. the city was devastated by civil war.

the, as we travel up the coast, we encounter ruins from a far more distant era. getting back to ancient greek and roman times. the ruins are accessible. a kind of open air museum for local visitors. the sun sites are under guard, others aren't ah but you know where to look. priceless antiquities are practically free for the taking. the we meet another student archeologist. deep sea diving assad's favorite pastime.

he's also determined to stop the looting of antiquities. many can be found here in this 2000 and year old barbara. it's now under water. marble, but it's like this one can weigh over a 100 kilos and can't be moved easily. there are also dozens of and for a fragment, the patients and look, a diver might find something like this, the head of a statue. it's been lying on the bottom of the sea for 2000 years. i don't want us to be seen at the low. we've been lucky today thought worries that if you've seen with the bust the area might attract looters, we need to be very careful or goss, i'm hiding it,

so no one sees it. otherwise people will come looking for more. these objects are worth a fortune one. in lydia luther might receive 500 euros for the bust. but on the other side of the mediterranean, in europe, a bust like this might fetch 10000 euros 20 times the original price. everything sa fines. he turns over to the head of the local museum for safe keeping. up with the antiquities he is rescued over the past years are kept in this safe so worried about burglary. that burglars once came in through the window. i tried to open the safe but couldn't so they forced the door open for send to pieces from the museum will sit out. remember the ceramics,

we don't know where they ended so. so ah, one city in the east of libya is particularly appealing to looters. irene, sometimes referred to as the athens of africa. i, the most prized statues come from the ruins of this ancient city, which extends over an area covering many square kilometers. there are temples and amphitheaters ah, in the cemetery 10 square kilometers inside local sometimes build their houses on top of ancient ruins. the most valuable

antiquities are usually found in tombs. local authorities tried to prevent looting, but often with little success. the major sha hot sends out daily patrols his police unit is in charge of preserving cultural heritage. his unit has just 30 officers. they're committed to their work, but they're vastly outnumbered. i think the whole class doesn't look someone doug here class. the tooth was clearly looted up if the and not all that long ago. nothing not. but now, you know, there are at least 3 grades inside and shuffled the loo to remove the soil through this hole and might even have worked in broad daylight. yeah. me. you can see

what's happening on the outside. let sure wasn't. he probably had an accomplish that kept watch in case the police came. so it's not hard to escape if you know the area we are planetary. yeah. yeah. yeah. you're going to get me the police are virtually powerless and find looted, tombs almost daily. the area here is far too vast to catch looters in the act. but i want to be getting in 2013. the atlantic state and other groups divide for control over the region. hooting became a weapon of war. for years, eastern libya remained in the grip of fierce fighting between islamic militia and military forces in their propaganda videos,

the ins glorify their fighters hitting on suicide mission. and they also boast of their destruction of archaeological sites. what they fail to mention is how much profit they reap from large scale trafficking and antiquities. ah, eunice only has the museum in a city that was under the control of rog. malicious until summer 2018 ali risked his life to hide the most precious antiquities, which would have sold for tens of thousands of years on the black market. i the objects i managed to remove from the museum. they did break the base of this statue, but i know they were planning to sell it. they tried to steal so many artifacts

he was able to rescue 85 objects, including many bus statues this morning. he's meeting with his colleagues from cerini their 1st meeting in a while and that has happened as they said they would try me for these theft. and if i were found guilty, they would enforce sure we, along with the punishment for attempt just to cut off your hand or with you in public. some people die. study on the union. aaliyah was interrogated several times but refused to reveal the location of the artifacts. for a full year, he lived in constant fear. libyan authorities say that terrorist groups, including ones affiliated with the islamic state, are funded by the sale of thousands of antiquities. but whom are they sold to?

a team of spanish police officers think there's a link between terrorist groups and to cut a line or dealer fernando poor, so as head of the spanish police. it's historical heritage unit. he's come all the way to tripoli to interview key witnesses. all the items were investigating, come from a specific region and libya from you and ica. here's one of the items we from in this head was wrapped in a blanket, and this month, me a few months earlier or so let us search this barcelona art gallery. dozens of valuable antiquities were seized. the statues are valued between 50100000 euros. ah, the spanish dealer was arrested and charged with helping to finance terrorism. it's the 1st case of its kind in europe. and in the spring,

our investigation was triggered by several export licenses requested by this famous barcelona antiquity de la had many objects from libya on exhibits as professor roused our suspicions. psyche extra, you know, she missed the me. so who is the barcelona antiquities dealer charged with trafficking and antiquities received through a terrorist organization. though still in his thirty's sharma, by god, is a respected dealer known for trading and rare objects. ah, the during the investigation, spanish police intercepted more than 30000 emails somewhere between my god and his middle man in antiquities dealer in libya. they date from 2015,

a time when the islamic state health sway over the region. after reading these emails, fernando poor sales team discovered how the content on dealer and a middleman laundered looted antiquities regarding a bus that sold for $30000.00 euros yama. i got wrote put a low value on the invoice. ready marble head over 100 years old 500 years. ready i lived in accomplished, complied, and rewrote the providence of alluded last. i need you to write on the invoice origin, private collection predating 1970. that will help get it through customs. thank you . the community my policy on is on. he asked him to rise, but it comes from a collection that they took the whole 970 when he actually bought in 2015.

not here, you can see the head, the middleman bought in the united arab emirates. and here the same piece, a few months later restored. are you in the capital of antiquity? go millennia ah, when i'm on the dealer was released, pending trial. he denies the charges against him. that i mean, i know who wrote the trial will be decisive. that's when we will know whether we succeeded or not. but in any case, this is a big step. since it's the 1st time in the world that someone is going to be tried for trafficking in antiquities and financing terrorism is good, at least if i, the trial is scheduled to take place within a few months. for now, the cut on antiquities dealer is back in business. we decide to pay him

a visit at the opening of the fatty arctic, madrid's art and antiques fair, where he has a large stand. though it's still morning visitors are already here and rose by god has yet to grant a television interview. on the case. we tell him we're doing a report on the ard market to get him on camera. and he agrees to be filmed. you know, i started collecting roman coins when i was 10. i've devoted my life 20 equities, but i mean, as you let me think what i was feeling are facing serious accusation there without marriage either some, some of them. and i thought they say you fun to terrorism, that's absurd. when you don't get will not, but you are sold items from libya, a country of war by that is not true. it's not. you know, what experts confirmed the object came from libya,

you're not to test it. and how do you explain that? and april 2nd was my document at the origin and i'm convinced my trial will prove my innocence. that's the only possible outcome we can keep talking. but stop filming now. guessing. mr. phillips, he's been or instant. please turn off the camera. i'm. i'm going to turn off the camera. but the gentleman by god is not the only dealer in europe suspected of laundering artifacts looted in libya and then selling them. but how are these antiquities brought into europe without attracting attention? what routes to the traffickers use? the libyan police officers tell us what they know. they explained that most of the antiquities are transported illegally across the desert. the mito pc

it go, but it is a use a tried but especially in smuggling, but i'm going to do i'm that's how the objects pass through the border puzzle in militia. we retraced the journey and take it from their departure. and so i really libya, egypt, and most of the ancient works of art, a sold in an area located in the desert. you know, the laces will be sent to the sinai women onto his round almost every day, from israel, their ships to the united arab emirates, or to jordan. after that, the 2 police officers lose track of the past, taken by the looted antiquities, honest. and all they know is that many traffickers and buyers establish contact on social media motorcycles. you can look to them. i'm really not going to need to pay for transport. and make more money orders and local traffickers. now start to look for foreign clients directly on websites. social media,

wymond facebook. but he will see what the problem. that's how they get better offers. he will be in show me, we create a fake collectors profile on facebook, calling him only we infiltrate private groups, made up of looters and dealers within a short amount of time. all he has acquired a lot of friends. the dealers are based in libya, syria and iraq. they share videos of their treasure, hunts, and tips for acquiring the most valuable objects. the share drawings to explain how to spot terms

and give advice on the best tools to use. like stay the metal detectors we get in touch with several of them. they all speak arabic, but we managed to communicate using online translation tools. this rocky introduces himself as a broker who sells antiquities from the middle east, such as the small statue from syria. it's an exceptional find the archaeologists we contact estimate. it's about 4000 years old. the broker asked for $10000.00 for it. i the

we don't pursue the contact. this kind of small statue could be smuggled in a suitcase traveling from turkey to paris without raising any suspicions at all. the cases like these that have also attracted the attention of morgana busy. the researcher also assists the o. c, b, c. the french central police unit, the combat trafficking of cultural property. his boss at the o. c. b, c, colonel de belgy is allowing a camera in the unit a rare exception. this is turned off,

who says congest sculpture from the sy reeney necropolis, and egypt still has fresh earth that sticks to your fingers is now in a container on its way to asia. as in the spanish case, the french investigators looked for vague provinces and false owners to cover their tracks, traffickers inventor past further antiquities, including fake sales mike all busy, had developed a computer program to help the software aims to record all fails of antiquities from libya over the past 150 years so it's a kind of cartography and it'll take this object as you can see where it was made. it's fantastic. and where it was sold, the lot number, the sale price and buyer song of things. and if a seller says it comes from a collection, we can check constantly,

don't know what went in and tickled he arrives in europe. the documentation helps said the laundering process in motion, and then the object circulates from buyer to buyer professional to professional, very quickly. the goal is to auction it at a top price, who claims to the financial incentive. also, the loss of us ever re maximum the money. she has a team of 26. not a lot given the scale of the problem, they're dealing with them or more. it's not often you get to work on pieces of such as static beauty. in the da belgy and his team are also on the trail of a new type of trafficking. small dealers who work exclusively online. i thought amanda is rising, such as the classics. the internet has made it easier to traffic items of relatively low value. we've observed that most of the objects for sale tend to go

for no more than 4000 or 5000 euro from, you know, it's a clever and silent form of crime. it's uses e commerce platforms are a popular place to look for small artifacts that are easy to transport and hide. there's something for every budget. this little cherry from syria, for instance, is listed at 1200 euros. the seller offers many other objects all from the middle east. the ah, we've located his address. he lives in the north of france and owns a concierge company. we make an appointment with him, claiming to be prospective buyers.

the portal is here. hello, did you find your way easily? yes, and the issue of are you interested in anything in particular? we saw some sculptures that looked like cherry a show you. oh yes, i just called that one out earlier. how many items do you have? i'm not sure. between $1.20 every month, this man sells dozens of antiquities online. some are stolen. even though france band, the import of antiquities, from places under terrorist control in 2016 the

you. where does this come from? syria, iraq or it was above the barrier at the time. did you acquire them long ago? you know, 6 months ago i just was oh, quite recently. and how did you find them? i do a lot of searching for me. the contact community, many of the time i built a network of contacts and connection work, but to show you i don't have the entire history of who learned it before me. the information is vague, but it's clear the seller hopes to reassure us. you can, as the origin is dubious, an invoice would prove that we purchased it in good faith. if the police knocked on our door, we wouldn't be prosecuted me. so i can send you an invoice with a certificate of authenticity that go with an invoice. we won't have any problems

or we of course not the case, john. so no one will ask when the object lifted country of origin. when you know you can even leave france with thank you. a lovely collection when people could exhort. thank you. goodbye, over. ah, we weren't the only ones interested in this dealer. he'd been under police observation for several months. shortly after our visit, the police searched his home and investigation was launched to determine whether he sold antiquities from iraq and syria, and provided indirect financing to terrorist groups. ah, but what happens to these blood antiquities once they've been seized, they can't be sent back to their countries of origin. as long as these remain

conflict zones. the most valuable objects are kept in a secret place. in the heart of paris. the space are not very many journalists have filled tear archeologist i saw michelle is one of the few people allowed in these libyan statues are still sealed. their investigation is still in progress, but they're scheduled to go on display in the loop and museum within the year for expose a diseased goods can be exhibited while, as searches conducted for their rightful owner. for maybe not all 4 of them, but at least the 2 small statues whose heads are still intact in it. that's archeologist hopes to raise awareness of the problem. the blood antiquities and spur the authorities into action. ah 2nd. even if we're just our lovers or amateurs,

we're all affected. terrorists could be involved when it comes to blood antiquities, we don't want to overreact. we want to remain vigilant for ah, how long will it take before blood antiquities are banned from exhibitions and auction houses. france, a special unit is investigating several cases. unfortunately, the outcomes still won't be known for quite some time. ah, ah, to do it or not too well. what about assuring economy a change in thinking is changing the economy to create something new.

economics magazine in germany. even 90 minutes on d w. the rules to go on as we take on the world, we're all about stories that matter to the whatever it pay. the fire made for mines. president george w bush invited us this summer. we talked about the past and the special relationship to chancellor uncle medical and i was not afraid to make a decision was not afraid to leave the kind person with a lovely soul. and that's a person i got to know the exclusive interview with george

w bush today. as 1530 you t c on the w. me the news . this is the w news live from the cities across south africa looted and ablaze the worst violence seen that in years more than 70 people have been killed as riots as ransacked the stores and class with police following the jailing of president jacob's also coming up the flames in gulf the united states way more than 60.