London's British Museum: Former IT worker arrested for allegedly shutting down systems, is it open

The incident occurred on Thursday evening, with sections of the museum's permanent collection closed on Friday. Temporary exhibitions will remain closed throughout the weekend as the museum works to restore its operations.

A museum spokesperson stated: “An IT contractor who was dismissed last week trespassed into the museum and shut down several of our systems. Police attended and he was arrested at the scene.

“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.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers were called to the museum at 8.25pm on Thursday following reports of a man trespassing and causing damage to the museum’s security and IT systems. “A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage and has since been bailed,” a police spokesperson said.

This latest disruption comes amid ongoing challenges for the British Museum. In August 2023, the institution disclosed that approximately 1,500 objects were missing or stolen from its collection.

The scandal led to legal proceedings against former curator Dr Peter Higgs, who was dismissed in July 2023 after a more than 30-year career in the museum's department of Greece and Rome. Hundreds of stolen artefacts have since been recovered, with the museum showcasing some of them in a temporary exhibition last year.

The fallout from the thefts prompted the resignation of the museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, in 2023. After a period under interim leadership, Nicholas Cullinan, previously head of the National Portrait Gallery, took over as director.