Six accused of Munch art theft

Six people have been indicted in the August 2004 theft of the still-missing Edvard Munch masterpieces The Scream and Madonna, a Norwegian national prosecutor said today.

Masked gunmen grabbed The Scream and Madonna from the Munch Museum in Oslo on August 22, 2004, in front of stunned visitors.

Despite an international search and promises of a reward the works have yet to be recovered.

State lawyer for Oslo Terje Nyboe said five will face trial for participating in the theft itself, and the sixth was indicted for receiving stolen property. Their names were not released.

The paintings are among Munch’s best-known works. The four versions of The Scream have become 20th century icons of human anxiety.