Belgium returns 3000-year-old sarcophagus seized in 2015 to Egypt

Belgian authorities announced today that they have returned to Egypt a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus that was seized by police in Brussels in 2015.

"After 10 years of investigations and legal proceedings, it is truly an act of justice to return to its place of origin a stolen piece of its (cultural) heritage," said prosecutor Julien Moinil.

The Brussels prosecutor's office said the sarcophagus and a smaller object - a wooden beard - were handed over to the Egyptian ambassador at a special event in the Belgian capital.

The antiquities were seized by Belgian police in 2015, following an Interpol operation, which was tipped off by Egyptian authorities. They have since been held at the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels.