The three men reportedly said in their defense that they were at the site gathering medicinal plants and not illegally digging in archeological sites.
In the coming days the Jerusalem District prosecutor's office plans to present an indictment against them the IAA said.
The IAA said Monday the three men, from Bethlehem and Kfar Nehilin snuck into Israel from the West Bank riding on donkeys through a mountainous area where the separation fence had still not been completed.
According to the IAA , the site where they were caught includes relics from the Hellenistic, Roman , and Byzantine eras.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Looting indictments
JUST "GATHERING MEDICINAL PLANTS": Antiquities thieves who allegedly sneaked into Israel on donkeys to face indictment (Ben Hartman, Jerusalem Post)