Two thieves walked into a museum and grabbed a rare diamond necklace encrusted with more than 600 diamonds in a brazen jewellery heist in Austria. The duo were so confident they didn’t bother to wear masks, instead waltzing in after buying tickets for the exhibition at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).
The suspects headed for the Van Cleef and Arpels diamond and platinum necklace on display despite security cameras. Bearing more than 200 carats of gems, the necklace is estimated to be worth over £3 million (€3.5 million).
Heist caught on camera
Detectives said the two unmasked men were clearly visible on cameras during the heist, which happened on Thursday afternoon, marking another high-value heist in Europe in recent years. Now a manhunt has been launched after Vienna police released CCTV images showing the two suspects.
They ‘smashed a glass display case’ using a hammer before fleeing, the police said. The necklace with 673 diamonds was designed for the Egyptian royal family, and was famously worn by Queen Nazli at her daughter’s wedding with the future Shah of Iran in 1939.
Exhibition security measures
It was part of an exhibition celebrating the work of the French jewellery house, with around 500 items showcased since June. The exhibition is set to run until September 27. Lilli Hollein, the director of MAK, said the theft of the valuable piece ‘hits us hard,’ the Kurier reports.
Van Cleef and Arpels and MAK had developed security measures for the exhibition. This included wall-integrated bulletproof glass display cases, which, however, the thieves managed to breach. The museum said: ‘The security measures meet the highest standards customary for international exhibitions of jewellery.’
Despite world-class measures, a ‘targeted, armed attack during ongoing exhibition operations cannot be completely ruled out,’ Ms Hollein said. ‘In such a situation, it is crucial that the established procedures function and that the staff react appropriately. This was the case here,’ she added.
Armed suspect and evacuation
One of the thieves is said to have been armed, so the security personnel hired from an external security firm evacuated visitors as their top priority in line with standard international practice during art thefts, the museum said.
Thursday’s heist has triggered memories of the Louvre raid last year when a gang broke into the historic Parisian museum using a furniture elevator. Among the stolen loot were gem-studded royal tiaras, necklaces and earrings dating to the 19th century worth more than £76 million. The daytime four-minute heist, which stunned France, took place during regular visiting hours on October 19. The thieves, posing as workers, used a truck-mounted device to reach the second floor before smashing through a window with power tools.
