Stolen Picasso and Mondrian paintings found under bush in Greece after 9 years

Hidden in a gorge in Greece, two paintings by the artists Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian were recovered by police on Monday – nearly a decade after they were stolen from the country’s National Gallery.

Footage shared by authorities shows a sealed package under bushes. The 49-year-old man who was arrested on Monday for snatching the priceless artworks led police to the hiding place outside Athens.

The thief stole Picasso’s Head of a Woman and Mondrian’s Stammer Windmill in an audacious overnight raid in 2012 after manipulating the gallery’s alarm system.

The recovery of the famous paintings was greeted with elation in Athens.