Italy has seized 118 ancient Egyptian artefacts which were smuggled out of Egypt, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Antiquities.

After Italy made Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs aware of its discover, it reported the incident to the Ministry of Antiquities which setup a specialized committee to examine the photographs of the items seized and identify them.

Head of the Repatriation Department, Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, believes the items were stolen from illegal excavation sites in Egypt as they have not been reported stolen from museums.

The pieces include a collection of pottery vessels, coins and parts of sarcophagi and a few pieces belong to Islamic civilisation.

Legal action is to be taken in coordination with Italy, the official said.

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