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Two men sought for a theft that created outrage in the United States may not know the significance of what they have done, New Zealand police say.
Queenstown police are helping American authorities to track down the British pair, thought to be Queenstown residents, who allegedly stole flags flying at half-mast in Jackson, Wyoming, for a soldier killed in Iraq.
It is hoped the flags can be recovered, for their "sentimental value", and returned to Jackson.
Jackson police named Daniel Jones and Tom Knapp as suspects after they were identified from surveillance footage posted on the YouTube website.
An American flag and a Wyoming state flag were flying at half-mast outside the Jackson courthouse on March 20 to mark the soldier's funeral.
Many Americans wrote online expressing their anger at the thefts.
Detective Sergeant Grahme Bartlett, of Queenstown, said a Herald article on the thefts prompted him to contact the Jackson police chief and offer their help.
"There is a high probability the people involved weren't aware of the significance of the flags.
"What the police chief said to me was, 'We would like to recover the flags and at least receive an apology'."
