The suspects included an archaeological inspector from the site, who stands accused of having stolen the statue from the warehouse, before replacing it with a replica, and illegally smuggling it to Brussels, the minister added.
The ministry managed to retrieve the statue and bring it back to Egypt a few months ago, the minister said.
The suspects are being held in custody pending investigations.
Carved in limestone, the statue depicts a sitting priest and dates back to the Middle Kingdom, between about 2000 and 1700 BC.
Author: Nevine El-Aref | Source: Ahram Online [May 26, 2015]