A police car is pictured in front of the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin. Reuters
Sixteen Egyptian artefacts were among 69 objects that were sprayed with olive oil on Berlin's Museum Island, a UNESCO world heritage site that is home to five famous museums.
Egyptian Ambassador to Germany Khaled Galal carried out an inspection visit, accompanied by the managers of the museums, to find out the condition of the Egyptian artefacts on display.
All the Egyptian pieces are from the collection of the museums and are not part of a temporary exhibition in Germany, as was rumoured.
Investigations showed that the suspected person had poured olive oil on 69 artefacts displayed at museums in Berlin, including 16 Egyptian pieces, not including the bust of Queen Nefertiti.
Galal told the German authorities his concerns about the possibility of the reoccurrence of such an event and called for all necessary security measures to be taken to preserve the Egyptian antiquities as a civilised legacy for all mankind.
He stressed the importance of restoring the objects involved, and he offered the assistance of a group of Egyptian restorers in removing, cleaning and restoring the pieces.
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