Spanish police sting recovers stolen paintings

An undercover operation by Spanish police has led to the recovery of 10 paintings which were stolen last year from one of Spain's most valuable art collections.

The paintings, which include works by Goya, Brueghel and Pissarro, were stolen in August from the home of a Spanish billionaire businesswoman Esther Koplowitz.

Seven other works of art are still missing.

Three men have been charged in connection with the theft.

The arrests were made after an officer posing as an agent for an art collector met two of the men at a hotel in Madrid.

Dozens of plain-clothes police took part in the operation, some dressed as beggars and street cleaners.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service