Diamond necklace stolen from MAK – suspect at large
Two armed men robbed a necklace worth millions of euros from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna on Thursday. The suspects are at large, and the state criminal investigation office is investigating.
Art theft at MAK: Million-euro diamond necklace torn from display case
Two unknown men stole a diamond necklace worth millions of euros from the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna's city centre on Thursday afternoon. According to the Kronen Zeitung, the stolen item is a unique jewellery piece by the Paris luxury jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels, whose value is in the millions of euros range.
The two suspects entered the museum on the Ring as ordinary visitors. Their target was the ongoing exhibition "Glanzstücke", which showcases around 500 objects – more than 300 of them by Van Cleef & Arpels, founded in 1906 on Paris's Place Vendôme, as well as over 200 pieces from the MAK collection. The exhibition brings together diamonds, rubies and emeralds in jewellery in the highest price segment.
Without warning, the men smashed a glass display case, deliberately grabbed the necklace and fled with the stolen item. The suspects are said to have been armed. "No one was injured in the incident. Extensive immediate search measures have so far been unsuccessful," said police spokesperson Anna Gutt.
The Vienna State Criminal Investigation Office has taken over the investigation. According to initial findings, it could be a targeted commissioned heist by a group based in the Balkans. Evidence collection and the evaluation of video footage were ongoing in the evening.
Information, including anonymous tips, is being accepted by the State Criminal Investigation Office on telephone number 01-31310-38200.
The robbery recalls memories of the most spectacular art theft in Austrian criminal history: on 11 May 2003, the golden Saliera by Benvenuto Cellini, valued at around 50 million euros, was stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The perpetrator broke in at night via scaffolding, turned himself in later and served a prison sentence of two years and nine months. The world-famous salt cellar was secured with special security measures after the theft.
Source: Kronen Zeitung