The British Museum, the country's most popular tourist attraction, was partially closed to the public on Saturday after an employee who had been fired went bankrupt and shut down computer systems, museum management said.
The museum in central London, which attracts almost 6 million visitors a year, closed its temporary exhibitions and part of its permanent collection after the alleged attack on Thursday.
“An IT contractor who was fired last week has transferred the museum over and shut down several of our systems,” the museum said in a statement Friday. “Police attended and he was arrested at the scene.
“We are working hard to get the museum back to full operation, but with regret that our temporary exhibitions have closed today and will remain so over the weekend – ticket holders have been alerted and refunds are being offered.”
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The Metropolitan Police Force said officers were called on Thursday night “to reports that a man had entered the British Museum and caused damage to the museum's security and safety systems.” He said a man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of robbery and criminal damage. He has been released on bail while inquiries continue.
The 266-year-old museum has had a rough few years. He is still trying to track down some of the more than 1,800 objects believed to have been stolen by a former curator and offered for sale online. Peter Higgs, who worked in the museum's Greece and Rome department for 30 years, was fired in July 2023 and is being sued by the museum. He denies the accusations.
The museum's director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned in August 2023, acknowledging that the institution's management failed to heed warnings that artifacts, including gold jewelry, semi-precious gems, and antiquities dating to the 15th century BC. c.
The museum, filled with treasures from around the world, also faces growing pressure to return artifacts taken from other countries during the period of the British Empire, particularly the Parthenon marbles, 2,500-year-old sculptures that were removed from Athens at the turn of the century. XIX by the British diplomat Lord Elgin.
Greece has campaigned for decades to have the marbles returned. The British Museum is prohibited by law from returning the sculptures to Greece, but its leaders have held talks with Greek officials about a compromise, such as a long-term loan.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press