Two Men Steal Historic Diamond Necklace from Vienna Museum

Police in Austria said two men broke the display case of the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna on Thursday afternoon and fled with a diamond necklace that had belonged to an Egyptian queen. The museum confirmed the theft occurred in an exhibition featuring pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels. Surveillance footage captured the two slim, dark-haired men, one of whom was armed, though no weapon was identified and no one was injured.

The necklace, which had been part of an exhibit scheduled to run through September, was previously owned by the former Egyptian queen and later handled by auction house Sotheby’s, which valued it at $3.6 million to $4.6 million in 2015. Museum director Lilli Hollein said the loss underscores the need to review security measures, adding that even comprehensive safeguards cannot eliminate the risk of a targeted, armed attack during an exhibition.

The robbery follows a series of recent thefts at major European museums, including a heist at the Louvre and the theft of paintings and Bronze Age artifacts from institutions in Italy and Spain. Austrian police are continuing their investigation and have not disclosed the direction in which the thieves fled.