Kathmandu— A collection of Bronze Age artifacts, known as the Treasure of Villena, was raided on Thursday at a museum in the Spanish town of Villena. The thieves triggered an alarm at approximately 5:20 am local time and were gone within four minutes, leaving authorities to assess the extent of the loss from the collection of over fifty gold, silver, iron, and amber pieces dating back to around 1000 BC. Police are currently conducting an inventory to determine exactly how many items were stolen in what officials described as a “super-fast and super-professional” operation.

Rapid Execution of the Heist

The alarm at the Villena Museum sounded around 5:20 am, according to a spokesperson for the town council. Remarkably, the thieves had already left the building by 5:24 am. This swift execution led officials to characterize the operation as “super-fast and super-professional.” The Treasure of Villena consists of 29 bracelets, 11 bowls, three bottles, and various other artifacts discovered in 1963 by archaeologist Jose Maria Soler within a dried-out riverbed.

Security Measures Activated

Despite the successful theft, museum officials maintain that security systems were functioning correctly. The Villena spokesman stated there was “no failure” on the part of the museum itself. Authorities are investigating a separate alarm triggered shortly before the robbery at the city’s sports center, suspecting it may have been a deliberate diversion created by the thieves.

Part of a Growing Trend

This incident is not isolated; Europe has seen a surge in brazen museum heists in recent months. Last October, the Louvre Museum in Paris was targeted, with thieves escaping with $102 million worth of jewelry in under eight minutes. Earlier this month, four valuable Renaissance works by Antonello da Messina were stolen from a Sicilian museum, as reported by Italy’s Ministry of Culture. Italian police also recently recovered paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse—valued at over $10.4 million—that had been stolen earlier in the year.

An inventory is currently underway to determine the full extent of the losses from the Treasure of Villena, and authorities are investigating potential links between this heist and other recent museum robberies across Europe.

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.