Today is Saturday, April 25, 2020.

On this day in 2005, the last piece of the stolen obelisk of Oxum was returned to Ethiopia after spending

68 years in Rome, Italy.

Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original. Today we're covering the return of the obelisk of Oxum to Ethiopia.

The elaborate burial stone was first erected in the fourth century,

CE, but during Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1937, it was taken as spoils of war.

Years later, the Italians were finally forced to atone for the crimes of their ancestors.

Let's go back to that morning, April 25, 2005 in Rome.

The Antinov, A.N. 124, Rouslawn, slowly rolled down the airport runway.

The pilot radioed into the tower for clearance.

There was no reason for him not to take off soon. It was early

morning and the air traffic was light. Either way, he had important cargo in the back so they would get priority take off.

As the large plane taxed into position, the pilot thought about his precious freight.

It was costing the Italian government nearly 8 million dollars to return the

stolen stone and he didn't want anything to go wrong. He knew how precious theobelisk was to the Ethiopian people. And he could

imagine the scandal if Italy's attempt to return the Pilford landmark resulted in its

destruction. That crime could very well lead to war.

The pilot trusted that the team who loaded it had done their job well. This was going to be their third flight, but each

take-off was just as nerve-racking. It was some of the heaviest cargo he had ever

flown, but he knew this was in fact the reason they were contracted.

No other plane would be able to transport this relic.

The 124 was one of the largest military cargo planes ever built.

...