Spain's 3,000-year-old Bronze Age gold treasure stolen in a FOUR-MINUTE museum heist by professional thieves

Thieves prised open a window at the museum in the medieval Spanish town of Villena and stripped it of all 66 original pieces of the Treasure of Villena — one of the world's most significant Bronze Age gold collections — in under four minutes. The hoard includes 29 bracelets, 11 bowls, three bottles, and various other ornaments crafted from gold, silver, amber and iron, all dating to around 1,000 BC. The gold alone carries a melt value of up to €1.7 million, though historians consider the pieces beyond price. Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán told reporters 'We are absolutely devastated — I'm shaking as I speak.'

A false alarm at a nearby sports centre in the minutes before the raid is under investigation as a deliberate distraction intended to draw security forces away from the museum.

Spain's Civil Guard, examining footage captured by multiple vehicles present at the scene, describes the operation as 'super-fast and super-professional' and believes it may have been the work of a gang that targets historical artefacts, possibly on commission.

In their haste to flee, the thieves left behind a small golden crown belonging to a statue of the Christ Child — the sole piece they failed to take.