Two suspects sought after diamond necklace theft at Vienna museum
A 200-carat, 673-diamond necklace once owned by Egyptian royalty was stolen from Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts during opening hours, prompting a police hunt for two male suspects.
Austrian police are searching for two men suspected of stealing a 200-carat platinum necklace set with 673 diamonds from the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna. The necklace, which had been on loan and previously belonged to Egyptian Queen Consort Nazli, was taken during an exhibition of Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery. Security footage shows the men purchasing tickets, then breaking a glass display case with a hammer before fleeing with the piece.
"The perpetrators fled with the jewellery in an unknown direction," police said in a public appeal.
Officers have deployed a tracking dog and are canvassing the city centre. The museum cancelled a guided tour scheduled for Friday and temporarily closed the exhibition, which was set to run until 27 September.
The theft follows a series of high-profile museum robberies across Europe, including recent incidents at the Louvre in Paris and a bronze-age hoard in Spain. Investigators suspect the Vienna robbery may have been a contract job for an organized crime group.