A 28-year-old Icelandic man has been arrested in Turkey and stands accused of attempting to smuggle antiquities out of the country. Davíð Örn Bjarnason and his girlfriend, Þóra Birgisdóttir were at the airport on Friday to catch their flight departing Antalya, Turkey when a piece of marble was found on Davíð and he was taken into custody, RÚV reports.
Þóra contends that they had purchased the stone at the market as a souvenir. While Þóra was not arrested, Davíð is being held by police and may face 3 to 10 years in prison or a fine of 8 to 24 million ISK for the infraction.
The couple had moved to Sweden with their three children nearly a year ago. Þóra was made to board a return flight to Sweden, and is said to be currently planning on moving back to Iceland where she will be able to receive more assistance with this matter.
Iceland’s Foreign Office has dispatched the consul general from Ankara to assist Davíð with his case. He will meet with prosecutors in Turkey today.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
