Two men walked into Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) as visitors only to storm out with a priceless 200-carat platinum and diamond necklace worth several million dollars, police said on Friday.
The broad-daylight heist on Thursday, the latest in a series of high-profile thefts to have hit European museums in the past year, triggered a search that grew beyond Austria’s borders.
What do we know about the heist?
The two robbers bought tickets to enter the museum.
But once inside, they made their way to the temporary exhibition for French designers Van Cleef and Arpels and “smashed a glass display case” with a hammer before “fleeing with the jewelry in an unknown direction,” according to a police statement.
Police added that they did not wear masks and could be clearly seen on surveillance cameras.
A police spokeswoman told the German DPA news agency that one of the robbers was carrying what is believed to be a real firearm.
She said visitors and security staff were in the room when the display case was smashed, adding that it was understandable that the security staff did not stand in the way of the armed perpetrator.
The MAK museum confirmed the theft but did not comment further. On its website, the museum continues to promote its exhibition, which is due to run until September 27.
What do we know about the stolen necklace?
The stolen necklace belonged to Egypt’s now-deposed Queen Nazli and was designed for her in 1939 for her daughter’s marriage to the future Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose family has also since been removed from power.
It is made of platinum and 673 precious stones said to weigh over 200 carats.
Van Cleef and Arpels describes the necklace on its website as a “triumph of white jewelry.”
The case is only the latest in a string of heists to have hit European museums in recent month.
The most high profile was last October’s Louvre museum break-in in Paris, which saw thieves snatching in jewellery worth $102 million (roughly €88 million) in under eight minutes. Museum thefts have also been reported in Italy and Spain.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
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