Vienna police have reported that two men stole a necklace decorated with more than 600 diamonds from the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon. The suspects bought tickets to the exhibition, smashed a glass display case, and took the platinum and diamond necklace, believed to be worth over $4 million.
The necklace was designed for the former Egyptian royal family and was part of an exhibition by jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, which was due to run until September.
Vienna police released photos of the unmasked suspects captured on security cameras and are appealing for public help. According to police, one of the perpetrators may have been carrying a real firearm.
After seizing the necklace, they fled towards the Vienna Stadtpark, just south of the museum.
MAK general director Lilli Hollein said the theft of a highly valuable piece of jewellery has hit them hard. She stated that security measures were carefully prepared, staff reacted calmly, and no one was injured.
This theft is the latest in a series of spectacular heists at European museums. On the same day, a trove of prehistoric jewellery was stolen from a Spanish museum. Earlier this month, four Renaissance paintings were taken from a museum in Sicily, and three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse were stolen from a museum in Parma.
Europol said museum thefts are becoming increasingly aggressive, with a shift towards violent methods, possibly indicating new criminal networks.
The stolen necklace was worn by Queen Nazli in 1939 for the marriage of her daughter Fawzia to the future Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Van Cleef & Arpels describes it as a "triumph of white jewellery". The diamonds weigh over 200 carats.
A decade ago, it was auctioned with an estimated worth of $3.6–4.6 million.
Police dog units have been deployed in Vienna and Lower Austria, while forensic experts analyse evidence and CCTV footage.