After two years of intrigue and detective work, a crime at a Norwegian museum has been solved--almost. Last Thursday, police announced the recovery of two treasured paintings that had been stolen from the Munch (moonk) Museum, in Oslo. The paintings, The Scream and Madonna, were painted by Edvard Munch in 1893. On August 22, 2004, masked gunmen grabbed them from the wall in front of many shocked museum visitors.
Although three arrests have been made, the gunmen have not yet been caught. Even so, officials are glad to have the masterpieces back and in fairly good condition. "There was far from the damage that could have been feared," said Iver Stensrud, head of the police investigation. "This is a joyous day for Norway."