Thieves steal priceless ancient jewelry from prominent history museum, police say

Thieves recently targeted a prominent cultural institution in Wales, stealing precious ancient jewelry from its gallery, officials said.

The open-air museum is on the grounds of St. Fagans Castle, a 16th-century manor house. It hosts a variety of exhibits displaying Welsh artifacts.

The heist targeted gold jewelry from the Bronze Age, according to the South Wales Police. 

In a statement, Detective Inspector Bob Chambers said the thieves took "several items."

"At this time, we believe that two suspects forced entry to the main building, where several items, including Bronze Age gold jewelry, have been stolen from a display case," Chambers said.

"An investigation is ongoing, and we urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible," he added. "Any information, no matter how small, may be relevant to the investigation."

The organization was unable to disclose the specific artifacts that were stolen given the investigation.

In a statement, Museum Wales said it was "saddened" by the theft, which it described as targeted.

"We would like to thank South Wales Police for their cooperation in this investigation and their prompt response when they were alerted in the early hours," the official added.

"We are also very grateful to the staff members who were on duty overnight, followed protocol and who were thankfully uninjured during the incident."

The artifact was taken by a museum employee and melted down.