ON MONDAY, two US nationals were detained at Athens International Airport after fragments of ancient objects were found in their luggage.
The Oklahoma-born couple, both aged 64, travelled to Greece with their 32-year-old son and were heading to Istanbul to continue their holiday.
During a routine x-ray luggage check, officers found 65 fragments of ancient vessels and objects packaged in 14 transparent plastic bags in the man’s suitcase and another eight pieces in two sacks in his wife's bag.
The priest admitted that he had collected the objects from the Acropolis Hill of Athens, the Heptapyrgion (Yedi Kule) of Thessaloniki, Delphi, the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Agora of Thessaloniki, the Areopagus in Athens and the Byzantine Towers of Veria.
He also told police that he taught Greek history and wanted the fragments to display to his students. They face charges of illegally trading in antiquities.