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Antiquities dealer who exposed thefts at British Museum dies aged 61

Dr. Ittai Gradel, the Danish antiquities dealer and academic who exposed the theft of over 2,000 artefacts from the British Museum by flagging items sold on eBay, has died aged 61 from renal cancer—days after receiving a rare museum medal for his contribution. His persistent efforts led to the resignation of the museum’s then-director Hartwig Fischer, the dismissal of senior curator Peter Higgs (who denies wrongdoing), an ongoing police investigation, and the return of over 360 purchased items to the museum.