Seven arrested in Egypt for illegally unearthing ancient artifacts

CAIRO, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Seven people were arrested for allegedly digging up ancient Egyptian artifacts under their home in the Giza district of Egypt.

The local residents discovered a buried temple and other assorted items while excavating under a home near Cairo in late October, Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, Mamdouh Damaty told Itar-Tass.

Seven steles engraved with hieroglyphs, portions of columns and a pink marble statue were discovered in the area. The items were believed to date back to the reign of the New Kingdom's King Tuthmose III.

The area was declared an archaeological site and the items were transported for restoration and study.

The seven people who were arrested — including two Palestinian men — were released because the area had not been declared an archaeological site before they began digging.