The blue Kia minivan rolled through the guarded gates of the National Museum of Antiquities early this afternoon, loaded with a precious cargo of metals and minerals: a bronze relief from the 4th century B.C. swathed in yellow foam padding, antique farm implements, an elaborately engraved marble slab wrapped in plastic, a decapitated statue of an Assyrian king.
Also inside the van was Namir Ibrahim Jamil, a 33-year-old Iraqi pianist who said that 11 days ago he watched in horror as looters ransacked the museum, hauling away as much of Iraq's tangible legacy as they could carry. He said he decided to do the same -- not to seek a fortune on the black market, but to hide the antiquities in his house until it was safe to return them.
Suicide Bomb Hits Israeli Station Amid Peace Moves (REUTERS, April 24, 2003)
A suspected Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at an Israeli train station on Thursday, killing one other person and injuring 13, police and medics said.
It was the first such attack inside Israel in nearly a month and came after an agreement was reached on Wednesday on the formation of a new Palestinian cabinet, paving the way for the publication of a U.S.-led plan for Middle East peace moves.
When we found a stash of suicide vests in Iraq, it hardly got a mention compared to the looting of the museum. Which looks like a bigger story now?
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