[meteorite-list] meteorite theft / arraignment

From: MacovichCo_at_aol.com <MacovichCo_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:49:02 2004
Message-ID: <95.10b098e3.28de26b0_at_aol.com>

don't know if this was posted previously....

The Namibian
Meteorite Suspects Due in Court Today
September 20, 2001

> An alleged ring of meteorite thieves, accused of leaving one of Windhoek's
> most unique monuments defaced, were arrested by the Namibian Police this week.
>
> Four of the suspected thieves are set to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate's
> Court today.
>
> An alleged meteorite buyer, Walter Horst (57), made a first appearance in the
> Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday.
>
> He was arrested in a Police operation on Tuesday.
>
> According to the Namibian Police Public Relations Office, Horst was caught
> after four Namibian men had sold a 300 kg meteorite which had been stolen from
> the Post Street Mall meteorite display during Monday night to him.
>
> Horst, an Austrian-born Namibian citizen, allegedly handed over N$10 000 as a
> first payment for the meteorite, after clinching a deal to buy it for N$30 000.
>
> When his house was searched after his arrest, a second illegal object was
> found, it is claimed - a rhino horn.
>
> Horst was released on bail of N$10 000.
>
> He is facing two charges at this stage - illegal possession of controlled
> game products, and receiving stolen goods.
>
> The theft of one of the objects from space which rained down in the the
> Gibeon area - hence their name as the "Gibeon meteorites" - is the second in
> just over two months.
>
> The first was stolen in early July, and has still not been recovered.
>
> A Namibian Police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu, said
> yesterday that, with the investigation of the thefts still continuing, it is
> suspected that one of the four men arrested for this week's theft also had a
> part in the previous incident.
>
> It is suspected that that meteorite had been taken out of Namibia, though, he
> said.
>
> The four theft suspects are aged 30, 38, 22 and 22.
Received on Sat 22 Sep 2001 01:38:56 PM PDT