Metal Detectorist Arrested in Israel

A man was arrested in Israel on Wednesday after attempting to illegally unearth Byzantine-era finds in ruins in the Judean Mountains. Six men were spotted carrying shovels and three metal detectors by members of the public at an ancient site near the Sorek Basin in the morning, since they thought this suspicious they reported them top the authorities, who sent a patrol out to see what the men were doing:

Uzi Rotstein of the authority’s Theft Prevention Unit [...] said the suspects began ascending a tall mountain toward another protected site, where the ruins of a Byzantine church remain, which they reached at approximately 10 p.m. “When they got there they divided into three groups of two, and each had a metal detector and shovels,” he said. “The two that were closest to us suspected something and began to run.” Rotstein said. When the suspects fled, the inspectors turned on their flashlights and gave chase to all six men, apprehending one from the Husan village. “Unfortunately, it was quite dark and the area has very rugged terrain, so the other five got away,” he said. The inspector said that during questioning, the apprehended suspect admitted they were looking for gold coins in the area, and told him his accomplices hailed from Idna village, south of the Hebron Hills. 

Daniel K. Eisenbud, 'Antiquities Authority arrests looter attempting to steal buried coins', Jerusalem Post 18th Nov 2013.