France returns 250 smuggled Egyptian antiquities

PARIS — France has returned 250 Egyptian antiquities seized from the luggage of travelers arriving in Paris four years ago.

The customs office said that it gave the Egyptian Embassy on Thursday the amulets, rings, funeral statues, clay pots and other objects seized in March and November of 2010 at Charles de Gaulle airport. A statement from Customs authorities said the objects date from different periods including 2000 B.C., the Roman and Byzantine eras and as late as the 7th century.

The return of the items came at the close of a visit to Paris by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, on his first European tour. He met on Wednesday with President Francois Hollande, coming to France after visiting Rome.