FBI warns U.S. art dealers about antiquities looted from Syria, Iraq

(Reuters) - The FBI on Wednesday urged art dealers in the United States to be careful when buying antiquities from the Middle East, saying there is evidence collectors have recently been offered artefacts plundered by Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq.

The looting of ancient artefacts across Iraq and Syria and their sale on the black market has become a source of funding for Islamic State militants, and there is growing concern those items are showing up in the Western marketplace, the FBI said in a press release.