The Manhattan district attorney announced Friday that three ancient sculptures are being returned to their rightful owners in Lebanon as he forms a new antiquities trafficking unit that will track stolen artifacts from around the world. At a news conference in his office, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. stood by the treasures once owned by private collectors and valued at more than $5 million US. They were stolen from a temple during the Lebanese civil war that started in 1975 and lasted 15 years, and confiscated in New York in the past few months. From left, the Calf Bearer, the Bull's Head, and the Torso, are displayed as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance answers questions during a press conference Dec. 15. Vance said that since 2012, his office has recovered several thousand trafficked antiquities collectively valued at more than $150 million.

Source: CBC News December 16, 2017 18:00 UTC