Israeli customs authorities stopped a Palestinian man for allegedly attempting to smuggle several dozen ancient coins into the West Bank from Jordan.

The man was crossing from Jordan into the West Bank through the Allenby Bridge last week and was found to be in possession of 53 coins dating from the first century BCE to the 13th century CE, the Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said Monday.

A customs official asked him to empty his pockets and noticed a bag of coins. The suspect, identified only as a man from the city of Tulkarem, was arrested by Israeli police and the coins were transferred to the Civil Administration's archaeology staff officer.

A spokeswoman for the police said the suspect was released from custody and that the case was under investigation. The suspect told officers that he purchased the coins in Jordan, but that he wasn't an antiquities dealer.

"I am glad to see that once again the cooperation between all officials had prevent the theft of the history of all of us," said Benny Har-Even, deputy archaeology coordination officer in the IDF's Civil Administration, the agency charged with managing civil affairs for the IDF in the West Bank.

Har-Even declined to provide additional information about the coins, except saying that they ranged from the Roman to Mamluk eras. The artifacts will remain in the Civil Administration's custody for study, a COGAT spokesperson said.

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Palestinian nabbed at crossing with sack of ancient coins(www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-nabbed-at-jordan-crossing-with-sack-of-ancient-coins/)