Islamic State Selling Church Artefacts Worth Millions to Western Collectors

Western collectors are thought to be in direct contact with Islamic State looters, who have taken millions of pounds worth of artefacts from ancient churches across Iraq and Syria, it has been claimed.

President of the Belgian federal police council, Willy Bruggeman, told The Times that ISIS are "using their own networks to come into contact with the final buyers...they want to have a one-to-one relationship with the collectors".

Bruggeman also said that some looted goods had almost certainly been sold to UK buyers, though none have as yet been traced. Read more

Western collectors may pay more for these artefacts than they bargained for. ISIS is positioning itself where it can exhort money from the final buyer for its silence.