FBI Director Kash Patel this week returned looted cultural artifacts from Indonesia's Papua region to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto while on an overseas trip to the country.

Indonesian officials told reporters that the handover took place Wednesday at Subianto’s residence in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The return was part of an ongoing effort to recover and return cultural artifacts.

“Besides our official discussions, Patel also brought Indonesian cultural artifacts as part of cooperation between the Indonesian government, through the Culture Ministry, and the FBI to return cultural objects that had been illegally smuggled into the United States,” Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon told reporters after the meeting.

The items included stone axe heads and ceremonial objects traced to the Dani, Asmat and Sentani tribes, which Zon claimed hold immense historical and cultural value for Indonesia, according to Antara News in Indonesia.

The foreign minister noted that the FBI has been working with the country on its repatriation efforts and previously helped recover bronze statues and objects from several other cultural sites.

"We hope the cooperation with the FBI, particularly regarding the repatriation and restitution of these cultural objects, will be strengthened in the future, supported by the State Secretary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Zon remarked.

The artifacts will be displayed at Indonesia's National Museum, where they will be accessible to the public for viewing.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.