LONDON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The British Museum has been partially closed since Friday afternoon following a sabotage of its technical systems, and certain areas remain inaccessible to the public on Saturday morning, according to the museum's website.
A museum spokesperson told Xinhua that the disruption was caused by a former technical system contractor who had been dismissed last week. The individual reportedly entered the museum without authorization and disabled multiple systems. Police were called to arrest the suspect on-site.
"We are working hard to get the museum back to being fully operational, but with regret, our temporary exhibitions have been closed today and will remain so over the weekend. Ticket holders have been alerted and refunds offered," said the museum website.
As of Saturday morning, only the permanent galleries on the museum's ground and first floors are open to the public. Other sections, including the Silk Road special exhibition, will stay closed throughout the weekend.
London's Metropolitan Police Service has not yet commented on the incident.
The British Museum is the latest cultural institution to experience technical sabotage in the country. In 2023, the British Library suffered a major cyberattack, which resulted in users' personal information being sold on the dark web.
The British Museum also faced a credibility crisis in 2023 when it was revealed that an employee had stolen artifacts over three decades. Approximately 2,000 items were reported missing, prompting international criticism and renewed calls for repatriating cultural relics. ■