Antiquity probe, middleman arrested

A 46-year-old gardener who allegedly acted as a middleman in the illegal sale of a valuable Cycladic-era statuette was freed pending trial Friday after posting a 10,000-euro bail payment.

The gardener, who was arrested earlier this week in a parking lot near the marina in Alimos, southern Athens, is believed to have mediated in the purchase of the statue dating to circa 2800 BC on behalf of an unidentified buyer who paid 1 million euros for the artifact, according to police sources.

The seller is being sought by police. He is said to be 1.85 meters tall, aged between 40 and 45 and to go by the name Spyros.