The prosecutor's office said the three were found in possession of digging tools and the crane with which they had tried to lift the 10-tonne statue and excavate antiquities in the ancient city of Aswan.

The statue is of Ramses the Great, who died more than 3,000 years ago.

A probe is being held and there are orders to investigate any further accomplices.

In recent years Egypt's managed to recover thousands of antiquities illegally taken abroad.