CAIRO: A British man and his wife attempted to smuggle some 20 artifacts out of Egypt, police confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Monday morning. They added that they stopped the couple before they were able to leave the country. According to the police officials, the British couple were attempting to leave Luxor International Airport on Sunday, but were found to be carrying pieces of ancient Egyptian artifacts in their bags, including Pharaonic statues and a Greco-Roman bronze coin. Police are investigating the artifacts. One police source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, said that while the couple has been stopped, they are looking into the matter “to determine if they willingly stole the items or purchased them from an illegal vendor in the country.” Security in Egypt is at alarmingly low levels, with crime on the rise and several museum pieces having gone missing from the country during the January 2011 uprising and after. Thousands of Egyptian artifacts remain outside the country, although the ministry of antiquities said it was pushing forward with efforts to have all items returned to Egypt for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, to be erected near the Giza Pyramids. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/6Oohf Tags: Artifacts, featured, Police, Smuggling, UK Section: Culture, Egypt, Heritage, Latest News