British Museum Boss Resigns Over Stolen Treasure

Undated handout photo issued by The British Museum of Hartwig Fischer, who has resigned as director of the British Museum. Benedict Johnson/The British Museum via PA

The director of the British Museum has resigned after around 2,000 artefacts were found missing or damaged, admitting failure to respond adequately to an earlier warning of theft, the museum announced on Friday.

The museum was warned in 2021 after an antiquities dealer stumbling upon some items on eBay, but didn’t conduct a full audit until 2022.