Ancient Statue Seized In Cairo

Police recovered a 1,700-year-old stone statue of an ancient idol on Monday after a man tried to sell it to tourists visiting the Sphinx and the Giza pyramids.

The statue of the god Hobel - worshiped by Arabs before the advent of Islam - was found in the Cairo apartment of Amir Mohammad Tawfiq, a man authorities said was a known smuggler.

Guides overheard his sales pitch and called police.

Yemeni authorities said the statue was stolen from a museum there five years ago.