ISTANBUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish police captured two suspects and recovered thousands of artifacts during a massive operation in Istanbul targeting trafficking in stolen antiquities, local media reported Friday.
A total of 2,295 gold, silver and bronze coins of different sizes dating back to the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires were seized in the operation launched as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal antiquities trafficking and smuggling, the Ihlas News Agency reported.
The police also found 44 arrowheads and various terracotta items dating back to the four empires, the report said.
Early this month, Turkish security forces seized a 1,100-year-old copy of the Hebrew Bible in Istanbul and a head of a 2,000-year-old statue in the western city of Izmir. ■
