Greek police arrested a 55-year-old man in connection with the theft of 10 fossilised footprints which were stolen earlier this week from the site where they were uncovered in Kissamos, Western Crete, authorities said.
The suspect faces charges of violating laws on protection of cultural heritage. Authorities were able to locate all ten fossils quickly in regions of Kissamos and Thessaloniki. The objects will be sent to Chania to be examined by experts.
Ten of some 40 footprints on the site were cut away and removed from the rock where they were found by a Polish paleontologist in 2002. The 5.7-million-year-old fossils are believed to belong to a hominid ancestor of modern humans and their discovery could upend established theories of human evolution.
The theft was reported by a member of the public that visited the site on Tuesday and alerted local police, and was later confirmed by the Natural History Museum of Crete. The investigation of the case is continuing.
(Source: AMNA)
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
