Austrian police search for two men who stole a 200-carat diamond necklace from a Vienna museum

Austrian police are searching for two men who allegedly stole a 200-carat platinum necklace encrusted with 673 diamonds from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. The necklace, which once belonged to Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt and was sold by Sotheby’s in 2015 for $4.3 million, was on display in a jewelry exhibition featuring works by Van Cleef & Arpels. During the heist, the two unmasked suspects purchased tickets and entered the museum during opening hours. They used a hammer to smash the glass display case and took the necklace, fleeing in an unknown direction. The museum's surveillance system captured the theft on camera, and the Vienna State Police Directorate is asking the public for help identifying the culprits. Following the theft, the museum temporarily closed the exhibition and canceled a planned guided tour. Investigators believe the suspects may have been working on behalf of a criminal organization. The robbery is part of a recent trend of high-profile museum heists across Europe.

Sources

• NBC News
  Thieves steal royal necklace from Vienna museum in smash-and-grab heist
• CNN
  Thieves steal $4 million diamond necklace in brazen smash-and-grab heist
• The Guardian
  Egyptian queen’s 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab raid | Art theft
• CBS News
  Men buy tickets to enter museum before stealing 200-carat platinum and diamond necklace, Vienna police say

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Paywall and unreadable sources

• The New York Times
  Thieves Smash Museum Case for Diamond Necklace Worth Millions in Vienna