The Associated Press

Wed, May 21, 2008 (2:22 p.m.)

Syrian customs officials seized 40 artifacts stolen from the National Museum in Iraq as they were being smuggled across the border into Syria, state media reported Wednesday.

The report quoted the chief of the customs department, Nabil al-Sayyouri, as saying the pieces were seized at al-Tanaf crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border. They were hidden in a bag carried by an Iraqi crossing into Syria.

Al-Sayyouri said the seized pieces, which included glassware and clay tools, were "rare and would be handed back to Iraq."

The smuggling suspect was arrested, he said.

It was the third smuggling attempt reported broken up by Syrian customs officials in less than two months. In April, the Syrian Cultural Ministry handed over to Iraq some 700 pieces of looted priceless antiquities seized inside Syria.