Wim Deikman // Foto © Marcel van Hoorn
In spring, the discovery caused an international outcry. According to historical data, d’Artagnan died in 1673 during the siege of Maastricht by the army of Louis XIV. Now the investigation around his possible grave has suddenly turned into a criminal case.
Police detained Deikman after he refused to return to the municipality bones sent earlier for DNA testing in Germany, the NLTimes writes. According to the prosecutor’s office, the archaeologist was released the same day, but remains a suspect in the case of illegal retention of archaeological finds.
Dijkman himself claims that he acted solely for the safety of the remains. According to him, the authorities were going to return the bones from the Munich laboratory by regular mail, which he considered unacceptable. The archaeologist personally traveled to Germany, took the bones and hid them with an acquaintance.
The municipality of Maastricht accuses the former employee of violating legislation on the protection of cultural heritage. According to Dutch law, all archaeological finds are automatically considered the property of the city.
Dijkman, for his part, speaks of professional envy and an attempt by officials to appropriate the discovery for themselves. “It became a matter of principle,” he told the local press, comparing the authorities’ actions to the persecution of a criminal organization.
Meanwhile, the main question remains unanswered: whether the remains found really belong to d’Artagnan himself. The results of the DNA examination have not yet been published.
