An international manhunt is underway after two men stole a diamond necklace worth more than $4 million from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in a brazen daylight robbery.
The suspects reportedly bought tickets to enter the exhibition on Thursday before smashing a glass display case and escaping with the platinum necklace, which is decorated with more than 600 diamonds weighing over 200 carats.
Vienna police said one of the suspects was believed to have been carrying what appeared to be a real firearm. No injuries were reported during the incident.
The necklace has significant royal history. Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels for Egypt’s former royal family, it was worn by Queen Nazli in 1939 at the wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later became the Shah of Iran.
The jewellery was part of a Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition at the museum. When auctioned about a decade ago, the necklace was estimated to be worth between $3.6 million and $4.6 million.
Security camera images of the two unmasked suspects have been released as authorities appeal for information. Police said the pair fled towards Vienna’s Stadtpark following the robbery.
Police dog units have been deployed in Vienna and neighbouring Lower Austria, while forensic investigators are examining evidence and CCTV footage.
The theft comes amid a series of high-profile robberies targeting museums across Europe, raising renewed concerns over security at cultural institutions.
The Vienna exhibition reopened on Friday without the stolen necklace.