LONDONDERRY – A Massachusetts man is accused of stealing $15,000 in coins and jewelry from a Londonderry home while the family was overseas on vacation earlier this year.

Rami A. Attia, 32, of 36 Bayberry Drive, Sharon, Mass., was arrested on Thursday on charges of burglary, criminal threatening and vandalism.

Attia was held overnight at the Londonderry police station before his arraignment at Derry District Court and subsequent release on bail on Friday.

According to the police affidavit, charges against Attia stem from a July break-in at 8 Sara Beth Lane.

The owner of the home was traveling in Lebanon at the time of the break-in, police said.

Police were called to the home by a family friend who was checking on the home at the request of the owner. Police said the friend, identified as Chad Saba of Derry, had arrived at the house with another friend and discovered a man in the upstairs bathroom of the master bedroom. Saba claimed the man exited the bathroom through a window and left through the back yard.

Police had responded to a burglar alarm at the residence earlier in the evening but saw no signs of forced entry anywhere around the home and left. Saba's story was corroborated by a neighbor living at 6 Sara Beth Lane, according to the affidavit.

After searching the home, police said, they found a safe opened and empty in the bathroom. The homeowner said $15,000 worth of rare gold coins and jewels were inside, and only four men outside of the family knew of the bathroom safe, according to the affidavit. No other room in the house was burglarized, police said.

Attia was one of the four men aware of the safe, the homeowner claimed. Police said Attia has experience working as a locksmith and is capable of breaking into a home without forcing entry.

According to police, the homeowner's nephew, Faysal Azar, was arrested by Londonderry police on unrelated charges in August. While being held at the Rockingham County Correctional facility as a result of the charges, police said Azar claimed Attia was responsible for the burglary.

"The burglary that occurred at 8 Sara Beth Lane was done with information only known to very few people," said Londonderry police Detective Patrick Cheetham. "It is very unlikely that someone without inside information would know to go directly to the master bathroom and not conduct a search in other locations throughout the house."

The gold coins and jewelry have not been recovered, Lt. Scott Saunders of Londonderry police said, though the investigation is ongoing.

Attia was released on $10,000 bail on Friday. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 6, at Derry District Court.