Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has referred the disappearance of an ancient gold bracelet from the restoration laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to police and public prosecutors, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The ministry said it had taken all necessary legal measures immediately after learning of the incident. A specialised committee has also been formed to review and inventory all items in the restoration lab, and a photo of the missing piece has been circulated to all archaeological units at airports and at land and sea ports across the country. The disappearance was discovered while staff were preparing artefacts for an upcoming exhibition in Italy, local media outlet Cairo 24 reported, citing sources. The sources said that individuals who had access to the artefact have been questioned and their phones have been confiscated as part of the investigation. The museum's director general clarified that photos circulating on some news websites and social media platforms are not of the missing item. He confirmed that the bracelets shown in those images are on display in the museum's second-floor halls. The missing piece is a gold bracelet with a spherical lapis lazuli bead from the collection of King Amenemope from the Third Intermediate Period. The ministry confirmed that it had delayed announcing the incident to "provide a suitable environment to ensure the progress of the investigations."
