Icon theft suspect arrested
Authorities arrested a Romanian national in Iraklion, Crete, yesterday who is thought to be the head of a gang that allegedly stole a priceless icon from a monastery in Leonidio, in the eastern Peloponnese. In August, a 700-year-old icon, which is said to have the power to work miracles, was stolen from the cliff-side Elona Monastery. Police said that they found jewelry and other items that had been placed on the icon as votive offerings at the home of the 28-year-old suspect in Crete. Additionally, footage of the monastery was also found on the suspect’s video camera. The icon was not located but investigations are continuing in Athens where it may have been taken in order to be sold. Two other Romanian nationals were also questioned in connection to the theft yesterday in Tripolis, in the Peloponnese, and Kavala, northern Greece. Police have also alerted their Romanian counterparts to be on the lookout for the icon which may already have been smuggled out of the country.
