BALIKESIR, Turkey
A suspect was arrested and a funerary stele dating back to the Roman period was recovered in northwestern Turkey, authorities said on Thursday.
The residence of a suspect involved in smuggling of historical artifacts was raided in Balikesir province’s Altieylul town, the provincial governorate said in a statement.
A funerary stele, believed to be nearly 2,000 years old and worth 1 million liras ($139,000), was found in the operation, the statement said.
Procedures have started against the arrested suspect for deliberately causing damage to assets of cultural value, it added.
* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara
![]( <div class="col-12 videoembed"> <video ="" controls="" poster="https://cdnuploads.aa.com.tr/uploads/VideoGallery/2021/02/25/d14811c07eaf8913a2ad41d7ccf1e2d3.jpg" style="width:100%" class="video-dty context-menu-active" id="video1" preload="none"> <source src="https://cdnuploads.aa.com.tr/uploads/VideoGallery/2021/02/25/d14811c07eaf8913a2ad41d7ccf1e2d3.mp4" type="video/mp4"> </video> <div class="row"> <h2 class="row"> Turkey: Roman-era artifact recovered, suspect arrested </h2> </div> </div> ){kind=link}