Two men have stolen a historic diamond necklace valued at over $4 million from Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts in a brazen midday heist. An international manhunt is underway with police deploying resources across Austria.
A high-value theft has prompted an international investigation after two suspects made off with a platinum necklace studded with more than 600 diamonds from an exhibition at Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts on Thursday. According to NewsWire, the suspects purchased legitimate entry tickets before breaking into a display case and fleeing the scene. The necklace, estimated to be worth between $3.6 million and $4.6 million, bears significant historical importance as a creation by luxury jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels that was worn by Egypt's Queen Nazli at a royal wedding in 1939.
Viennese authorities reported that one of the two suspects appeared to be armed with what resembled a real firearm during the incident, though no violence was reported. Security footage captured images of both suspects without face coverings as they escaped toward Vienna's Stadtpark. Police have released the camera footage publicly and launched a widespread search operation that extends beyond Vienna into neighbouring Lower Austria, utilising police dogs and forensic analysis of evidence collected at the scene.
The theft represents part of a broader pattern of high-profile robberies targeting European museums, raising questions about security measures at cultural institutions across the continent. The Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition at the museum recommenced operations on Friday, though naturally without the stolen jewellery on display.
