CAIRO, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian authorities have seized 151 ancient artifacts, including two coffins and 37 statues, from a man in Minya Province south of Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
Investigations by the tourism and antiquities police indicated that the suspect, living in Abu Qurqas district, intended to sell the artifacts.
Security forces arrested the suspect and seized the artifacts after obtaining legal authorization.
The seized items included two coffins, 37 limestone statues, bronze and faience pieces, a statue base, an amulet, three vessels, a pottery flask and 97 metal coins.
The suspect admitted that the artifacts had been unearthed through illegal excavation in a mountainous area of Abu Qurqas, the statement added.
Authorities determined that all the items date to the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman periods, according to the statement.
Legal action has been taken against the suspect.
The interior ministry said the seizure was part of its efforts to protect Egypt's cultural heritage and archaeological wealth.
Under Egyptian law, illegal excavation or concealing antiquities for smuggling is punishable by imprisonment, with the artifacts and equipment subject to confiscation by the Supreme Council of Antiquities. ■