In brief
Two armed men smashed a glass case at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts and stole a platinum necklace studded with over 600 diamonds, a piece previously owned by Egyptian royalty. The theft, captured on CCTV, has triggered an international manhunt as authorities appeal for public tips. The robbery adds to a wave of violent museum heists across Europe, raising concerns about security protocols. Police are investigating the suspects' escape route and potential links to larger criminal networks. The exhibition has since reopened, but the coveted necklace remains missing.
Four men, one believed to carry a real firearm, broke a glass display case at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts and pilfered a platinum necklace studded with more than 600 diamonds. The piece, originally made for the Egyptian royal family, was on display for a Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition.
International manhunt now underway as CCTV footage has been released and police are calling for public tips. The suspects were identified from the imagery, which shows them entering a bicycle rental office on the museum’s street and heading toward Vienna Stadtpark.
The necklace is estimated to be worth over $4 million. It was last worn by Queen Nazli in 1939 during a royal wedding in Tehran.
The crime follows a string of high‑profile thefts: a Bronze Age collection raided from a Spanish museum, Renaissance paintings stolen in Sicily, and works by Renoir and Matisse gone from Parma. European museum security standards have been under review after such incidents.
Austria’s police and forensic teams have deployed dogs and begun analysing the evidence, while the exhibition has reopened with the necklace missing. The Van Cleef & Arpels partners are reassessing security protocols for future shows.
Check back for updates on the manhunt and any leads from the public.
