Stolen Greek artifacts returned

ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Nearly 100 Neolithic-era antiquities stolen in an armed robbery 22 years ago have been returned to Greece, it was announced Tuesday.

The Greek Culture Ministry said the 94 artifacts were being stored temporarily at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens before being transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Larissa, the Athens News Agency reported.

The artwork -- including marble and clay figurines, stone tools and vials, and stone and clay seals -- had been stolen from the house of collector Constantinos Theodoropoulos in Larissa in 1985, the news agency said. They were then sold to a museum in Munich.

Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the case, stressing that dealing with theft and the illegal trade in antiquities remains a key issue for the ministry.