watching the news live from berlin coming up next are documentaries, theories doc failed to look at how police and archaeologists are tracking down priceless antiquities stolen for them, at least for getting it all latest news and information around the talk on our website dot com on next spicer watching the news the goal was right in front of it. then suddenly we agreed to postpone the are the games that tokyo with 2020, from of course, during the qualifying ground for sports heroes. town during lockdown starts july 19th on d. w. the

. it took 6 months of negotiations was finally we were granted permission to film the cargo targeting unit and work here at child to go to airport, provided we don't show their faces. the customs officers are a highly trained team. they hung for suspicious cargo among the 2500000 tons of goods passing through the international air. how to 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 torn by violence and wor, no, not really, since 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 deeper. me,

import of antiquity smuggled in from areas under terrorist control has been illegal in france since 2016 in his hand made become real. let's be extra careful. these are the shipping papers in supporting documents, certificates of origin and provenance invoices, they'll determine whether or not we take control of the good news for the country of origin. when the comical molly. okay, bring me the documents will open the crate. when i get molly has been mired in war since 2012. the officials want to give the shipment a close look. this here is animal 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 zone and we have to examine the item to determine whether it's an antique or not. i don't know if we're not sure we get in touch with the expert. what she did fail me . the customs officers are especially interested in antiquities from the middle east, including areas that were recently still under control of the atlantic state. routed antiquities, helped fund their war chest. the sculptor marble slabs from syria were seized in 2016. they were headed for sale in asia. ah much more course. and when we checked, we found a wooden crate that supposedly contained garden decor, java. when we opened it, we could see objects that were antiquities. there marbles from between the 14th and

the 16th century services, and so they are intact, which makes them exceptionally valuable to me. experts have estimated their value at 250000 years. me pushing, given the timeframe and the secrecy involved. looted art, probably financed terrorist activities and terrorist groups are funding themselves by trafficking and cultural antiquity 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. was sold in $1200.00 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 220000 euros when it was intercepted by police in the us. in order to put this type of shady business to an end, a group of archaeology students are helping a police. ah, how can an artifact appear on the market in the midst of a war? without anyone wondering, without any response from the auction house? from ancient cities in libya, someone dug the 2 most clearly looted to the art galleries of paris and online dealers. the hello,

are you interested in anything in particular? ah, we spent an entire year on the trail of these are traffickers infiltrating online chat routes were plunderers and middleman plied 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. an exhibition at the fulton blow palace south of paris, a royal setting worthy of remarkable collection. the way the extra security to match the occasion ah,

the works all stem from the private collection of shakes. ahmad bid. abdulla astonished, a member of guitars, royal family, and cousin to the current, amir, the wealthy collector, also finance the restoration of the ballroom. chandeliers, one artifact catches r. i a bronze ibex, more than 2000 years old. it's listed as coming from south arabia or what is now yemen, a country mired and civil war. so 2014. we check the catalog. it's only been exhibited once before and beijing again as part of the all thought collection. there is no mention of a previous owner. it's a stunning work of art. what could the bronze ibex be a stolen antiquity? the curator says he's verified it's origins. because a year of the i think you're concerned that i worked with the curator of the alpha

on the collection. most surely i trust the documentation given to us by the collections cure. i thought it was, i thought that i could actually oh, but as it turns out, the filter little curator had been alerted the questions surrounding the ibex journey. she got a prominent french archaeologist, had warned the curator of its dubious providence. he had even emailed him. the day before the opening ah, 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 in yemen. in particular, a bronze ibex. ah, young edition, i back comes from the archaeological side of mariama, which is situated in a valley in the center of present day yemen and r q

n a. there were never any excavations. there are security reasons to secure the archeologist shouldn't go there without risking abduction. or risk don't use these are the ruins of the h in town or the ibex was found the photos were taken by again, many archeologist the only one who can access the site. oh, i don't think prove what she could. you can see here that the mariama temple was illegally excavated. i don't, it's hard to establish when these illegal dig normally. and if we promised, you know, the, the looters took advantage of the chaos situation. and emily was shipping this whole around 10 meters deep, gave the looters access to the temple where the ibex was found. buckets used during the excavation where simps discarded despite the archaeologists morning fulton blow powers exhibited the bronze ibex.

a year later we encountered the bronze ibex and tokyo, the japanese capital was a hotspot on the international art market. exhibition and work from the also the collection is opening at the national museum. the bronze ibex is also on display. i mean, jennifer, curator of the all sony collection is also here. he's in charge of acquisitions and never goes anywhere without his public relations officer. check him out really embodies the true spirit of a collector as high as far as things from a number of different sources. of course, from 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 anybody, the green one, there is no doubt about the origin. it was from the size which but newton. so now, i mean, i think any information that was there with obviously the thoroughly thing being able to get hold of that information is probably a conversation always. why would you just explain how 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 probably didn't because you do. yeah. this information. i'm not i don't personally. however, i know that everything is acquired with, with the due diligence, and that before the pieces work part, they've been published by a very big name in the field. and i will go back to him. he's well known as me in france. such questions about the provenance of an antiquity face

and uphill battle me. under french law, a purchaser, who acts 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 and looted antiquities. archaeology professor saw me show, and doctoral student more gone 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 correction collectors, once unique pieces, what no one else has it, but there's a 3rd aspect possibly, you know, get this information for us. he hopes the students will go on to raise the alarm about the problem. french customs officers and police often call on to researchers in more gulf, as the specialty is busts and statues from libya. the country that has 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 just morning. he's on his way to brussels in between his university seminars. he conducts research into the european antiquities trade. it's a race against time in

a week and object might move to another country and disappear but how can researchers prove that an antiquity with looted? luckily, in the case of libyan statues, some characteristic details make identification easier. the bus 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 it's 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 traficant. aided 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 for. and if we can find anything that look 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. well hello. hello. how are you? on was happier looking for a gift or our grandfather who is a collector and a few days and we are not exactly experts on you book. i'm going to look how subtle

how he's yes, it's incredible. the this is the boss more gone as he exported it's listed at $9500.00 euros mac to come. so where did the red marks come from? luke, in the probably due to the type of soil therein. the stone. i won't go away to the seller doesn't mention that busters 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? we have in the middle east as a vast region to vast by law, the dealer should know the precise origin of the antiquities. you sell it me suddenly, the dealer offers to cut the price by a $1000.00 euros. my concern is that one by 8500 or okay.

instead of 9005. thank you. we'll be in touch on is the dealer telling the truth? put the bus to come from egypt or the middle east as he claims to themselves. they're not egyptian 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 were these antiquities removed from libya? the we come to the in ghazi in eastern libya, the city was devastated by civil war. the

as we travel up the coast, we encounter ruins from us, far more distant europe, getting back to ancient greek and roman times. the ruins are accessible. a kind of open air museum for local visitors. the some sites are under guard, others aren't ah, i think you know where to look. priceless antiquities are practically free for the taking. the we meet another student of our allergy. deep sea diving assad favorite pastime. he's also determined to stop the looting of antiquities. many can be found here in this 2000 year old barbara. that's now under water or marble bushes like this one

can weigh over 100 kilos and can't be moved easily. mm. they're also dozens of am for a frankness 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 on the we've been lucky today. sod worries that if you've seen with a 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 objects. so worth a fortune. wondered in libya,

polluter might receive 500 euros for the bust. but on the other side of the mediterranean, in europe, a bust like this, mike fetch 10000 euros. 20 times the original price. everything sa find, he turns over to the head of the local museum for safe keeping. the antiquities he is rescued over the past years are kept in this safe worried about burglary. the burglars ones came in through the window. i tried to open the safe but couldn't so they forced the door open for him to pieces from the museum will remember the ceramics, we don't know where they ended up. 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. the 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 shot 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. the, i think the whole class look someone, doug, here was the tooth was clearly looted up project and not all that long ago. nothing. was there 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 kind of hard. you can see what's happening on the outside to her that she wasn't. he probably had an accomplish that kept watch in case the police came to.

so it's not hard to escape if you know the area we atlanta 3. yeah. yeah. you can 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 us to be getting in 2013, the atlantic state and other groups divide for control over the region. booting 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 heading out on suicide mission. and they also boast of their destruction of archaeological sites. what they fail to mention is how much

profit they read from large scale trafficking and antiquities ah, unique ali 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, these objects i managed to remove from the museum did break the base of the statue . but i know they were planning to sell it. they tried to steal so many artifacts in the bottom. he was able to rescue 85 objects, including many busts and statues. this morning, he's meeting with his colleagues from sy reeney their 1st meeting in

a while. and that has happened, as they said, they would try me for these thefts. and if i were found guilty, they would enforce jury a lot more punishment for them just to cut off your hand or with you in public. yet some people die studied. the eunice aaliyah was interrogated several times but refused to reveal the location of the artifacts. for a full year, he lived in constant fear. living in authority 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? the a team of spanish police officers think there's a link between terrorist groups. and to cut alon, our dealer. fernando poor sel is 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 investigated, come from a specific region and libya from human icon. here's one of the items we see in this head was wrapped in a blanket. me a few months earlier or so let us search of this barcelona art gallery. dozens of valuable antiquities were seized. these statues are valued at 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. our investigation was triggered by several export licenses requested by this famous barcelona antiquities de la. he had many

objects from libya on exhibit that aroused our suspicions. saki extra, you know 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 $30000.00 emails. somewhere between all my god and his middle man in antiquities dealer in libya, they date from 2015 a time when the law state health sway over the region. after reading these emails, fernando for sales team discovered how the cadillac dealer and his middleman

laundered looted antiquities regarding a bike that sold for $30000.00 euros. how much i got wrote put a low value on the invoice. ready marble head over 100 years old. 500 years. i lived in accomplish, complied, and rewrote the providence of alluded last. i need you to write on the invoice origin, private collection predating 1970 demo hope did it through customs. thank you. the be back in the, in the policy on when he asked him to rise. but it comes from a collection that data from 1971. he actually bought in 2015. you can see the head, the middleman bolt in the united arab emirates. and hear the same piece a few months later restored in the capital of antiquity. go millennia

ah. when the dealer was released, pending trial, he denies the charges against him. i know who your trial will be decisive. when we will know whether we succeeded on long, but in any case, this is a big step. since is the 1st time in the world that someone is going to be tried for trafficking in antiquities and financing terrorism, as well as if they've got me. the trial is scheduled to take place within a few months. for now, the cut on antiquities dealer is back in business. we decided to pay him a visit at the opening of the fatty arctic madrid's art and antiques, fer where he has a large stand. though it's still morning visitors are already here in rose.

ah, ah, my 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. i started collecting roman coins when i was 10. i've devoted my life 20 equities, but i mean i feel impediment. and actually think what i was feeling are facing serious accusation there without marriage either some, some of them, and i think they say you find a terrorism. that's absurd when you don't get will not. but you 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, not to assess it. and how do you explain the label? my documents are their 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. i guess you got most of them. she's been on it or instant. please turn off the camera and turn off the camera. you open up. 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 a specialists in smuggling print. i'm going to do, i'm at that i'm. that's how the objects passed through the border puzzled me in the

lease and we retraced the journey of the town take which ease from departure. and so i really libya, egypt, and most of the ancient works of art sold in an area located in the desert near the see what the laces will be. the message to the sinai, and on to israel. now, almost from israel, their ships to the united arab emirates, or to jordan. after that, the 2 police officers lose track of the pass taken by the looted antiquities. all they know is that many traffickers and buyers establish contact on social media motorcycles. we can look at, i'm, 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 website. i mean, social media. why am and facebook, the senior buddy? what's the, what's the problem? that's how they get better offers. leave it will be,

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, he has acquired a lot of friends. the dealers are based in libya, syria and iraq, and they share videos of their treasure, hunts, and tips for acquiring the most valuable objects. in the me with a shared drawings to explain how to spot terms and give advice on the best tool to use. like stay of the metal detectors. when 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 mean the 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 more gone basic. research are 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 da da, l g is allowing a camera in the unit. a rare exception turned off who says consist? 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 look for big provinces and false owners to cover their tracks. traffickers invent a past whether antiquities, including fake sales gone busy, has developed a computer program to help. the software aims to record all sales of antiquities from libya over the past 150 years. it's a kind of cartography 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 things. and if a seller says it comes from a collection, we can check cancer. he went in and tickled he arrives in europe. the documentation helps set 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 limited financing. so devonte la, la, re max, you mom, i mean, she has a team of 26, not a lot given the scale of the problem, they're dealing with it. the 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 wanted to start. mand is rising, the traffic 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 years from you know, it's

a clever and silent form of crime. digital 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 the, 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 chariots show you how we oh yes, i just pulled that one out earlier. okay. how many items do you have? i'm not sure which $1.20 every month. this man sells dozens of antiquities online. some are stolen. even though france been the import of antiquities from places under terrorist control in 2016, where does this come from syria, iraq or it was a boss barrier at the time. did you acquire them long ago?

you know, 6 months ago, i just want to, 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 felt a network of contacts and connection work with you. i don't have the entire history of who owned it before the bus is getting me. the information is vague, but it's clear the seller hopes to reassure us. you can if 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. now go with an invoice. we won't have any problems or of course not. no, that is true. so no one will ask when the object looked at country of origin, the you know,

you can even leave france with it. thank you. a lovely collection of people could exhort for me. thank you to buy over. ah, we weren't the only ones interested in this dealer. he'd been under police observation for several months in shortly after our visit, the police searched his home an 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. are not very many journalists have filmed

tear archeologist by sole 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. expose a diseased goods can be exhibited wireless 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. that's the archeologist hopes to raise awareness of the problem. the blood antiquities and spur the authorities into action. ah, 2nd, even if we're just dog 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.

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, yes. me in good shape. the healing power may start. what can i do, and how does it work? we will chat natural healing method, talks or announce reset. recommend healthy delicacy is from the have god, and i'm sure that he's good. she's been 30 minutes on the w. o.

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i the was use this is d, w. news live from berlin. the numbers rise by the hour catastrophic flooding kills at least a 130 people in western germans. rescuers are searching for another 1000 people missing in towns devastated by the waters. neighboring countries are also affected by the flood. belgium declares tuesday a day of mourning. the victims of the worst floods the country has ever seen. 20 people are known to have died there. also on the show, the security situation in a.