Van Gogh thieves 'met with feeble security'

Thieves made off with the canvas, known by the titles of Poppy Flowers and Vase with Flowers, on Saturday from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in the Egyptian capital.

Prosecutor general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud told Egypt's state news agency yesterday that the thieves used a box cutter to remove the painting from its frame.

He blamed the theft on the museum's lax security measures, calling them "for the most part feeble and superficial". He said the guards' daily rounds at closing time were inadequate and did not meet minimum security requirements.

Fifteen Egyptian officials, including the director of the Khalil museum, Reem Bahir, and the head of the fine arts department at the Ministry of Culture have been barred from leaving Egypt until the investigation is complete, Mr Mahmoud said.

On Saturday, the minister of culture, Farouk Hosni, said police had confiscated the painting from an Italian couple at Cairo airport hours after it was stolen. But Mr Hosni later backtracked.