Authorities in Cyprus Recover Koran Stolen From Turkey
Turkish Cypriot police said Saturday that they recovered a 15th century Koran that was stolen from a Turkish museum and detained three suspects for attempting to smuggle the book to Britain.
The handwritten Islamic holy book had been missing from Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace museum since September. The theft--at the former home of the sultans and one of the world’s most visited museums--shocked Turks and prompted an investigation into lax security.
Acting on a tip, police detained one of the suspects as he attempted to board a plane for Britain, an official said. Two other men, who allegedly stole the Koran from Topkapi, also were detained.
At the time of the theft, authorities estimated the value of the handwritten Koran at between $5,000 and $50,000.
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