Turkish police seized a 1000-year-old tapestry depicting Jesus Christ and twelve apostles on Monday in southern Adana province and detained three people on suspicion of artifact smuggling.
The police found the tapestry hidden in a bedroom closet, and arrested the owner of the house, M.P., his son, H.P. and another suspect, M.A. on suspicion of artifact smuggling after receiving a tip-off that the tapestry was being sold for 3 million euros.
The suspects claimed in their initial testimony that the tapestry was a souvenir that was belonged to them for a long time and demanded police to give it back.
During the raid, the police also confiscated a pump-action rifle, two knives, handcuffs and brass knuckles.
The tapestry, measuring 140 cm long (4.5 feet) and 80 cm wide (2.62 feet), will be taken to Adana Museum Directorate.
