Thieves steal Roman statues from Syria's national museum

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Thieves broke into Syria 's national museum and stole several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era, officials said Tuesday.

The National Museum of Damascus was briefly closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country was recovering from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule last year.

The country’s largest museum houses priceless antiquities. After the civil war started in March 2011, security was improved with metal gates and surveillance cameras, and authorities moved hundreds of artifacts to Damascus from around the country.

An official from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums told The Associated Press that six marble statues were stolen, and that an investigation was ongoing.

Another official told the AP that the theft occurred Sunday night and was discovered when one of the doors at the classical department was found broken.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations because the government had not yet made a statement.

The police chief in Damascus, Brig. Gen. Osama Atkeh, later told state news agency SANA that several statues and rare collectibles were stolen from the museum. He said that guards there and other individuals were being questioned.

An AP journalist who tried to enter the museum Tuesday was told by guards that photography was not allowed.

Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said in a statement later in the day that an investigation had been launched and that measures were taken immediately to guarantee the safety of the antiquities inside the museum. It did not say what was stolen, only saying that “some exhibits” went missing.

The section of the museum where the statues were reported stolen is "a beautiful and historically rich department with artifacts dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,” said Maamoun Abdulkarim, the former head of the government’s antiquities and museums department.

The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering in a new era for the country. Fearful of looting, the museum had briefly closed after a rebel offensive ended five decades of Assad family rule.

The years of conflict had badly affected areas including the historic central town of Palmyra, once held by the Islamic State group. In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.

Mroue reported from Beirut.

Ancient sculptures are displayed in a section titled "The World of Women" at the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A visitor looks at ancient mosaics on display at the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

FILE - In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency, SANA, people attend the reopening ceremony for Syria's National Museum, in Damascus, Syria, Oct. 28, 2018. (SANA via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, a visitor looks at ancient artifacts during the reopening ceremony for Syria's National Museum, in Damascus, Syria, Oct. 28, 2018. (SANA via AP, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)