A necklace apparently worth a staggering €27 million (£23 million) was thought to have been taken by well-dressed, armed thieves who carried out a bold daylight attack on an international art festival in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht yesterday.
Startling camera footage revealed how the burglars broke into a jewelry display case with a sledgehammer before fleeing. They were wearing flat caps similar to Tommy Shelby and his cohorts in the popular historical crime thriller “Peaky Blinders.”
The European Fine Art Fair was the location of the display case that the robbers chose to target, according to Dutch media, and it was filled with diamond jewelry and other things from the London jeweler Symbolic and Chase (Tefaf).
A dramatic video shows the four suspects menacing guests with what seemed to be firearms during the heist before fleeing. They were dressed in flat hats, glasses, and jackets.
According to a witness to the crime, one of the art fair exhibitors valued the allegedly stolen necklace at €27 million, according to the Dutch media NRC.
Although they declined to disclose whether they were connected to the case, police revealed yesterday that they had captured two Belgian suspects shortly after the heist.
The attorney for the Belgians stated that there had been a miscommunication and that his clients had no role.
The investigation into the crimes and the recovery of the stolen goods is ongoing because police did not discover any signs of jewelry or firearms in the victims’ car.
The disputed necklace isn’t included on the Symbolic and Chase collection website, and the fair’s spokesman was unable to confirm or deny that it was actually taken.
A request for comment has been made to the jeweler.
One of the well-groomed individuals was seen on the scene’s video smashing the glass display case of the London jeweler’s stand with a sledgehammer.
At least 12 times are observed as the guy repeatedly strikes the armored glass while three additional men in blazers, flat caps, and glasses stand guard around him.
A bystander is seen sprinting in their direction and picking up a flower vase with the apparent intent of throwing it at the bandits.
The brave bystander dropped the vase and began to carefully back away as two of the men on watch brandished what appeared to be firearms.
When the suspect with the hammer eventually broke through the glass, he reached inside to take something and put it into a bag.
After then, the men dashed away past an elderly man who had been watching the incident from a bench nearby.
Following the incident, the fair was quickly closed to the general public until it later reopened.
In Maastricht’s convention center, the famed expo is taking place. Exhibits of pricey jewelry and art are drawing buyers and collectors from all over the world.
The scheduled dates are June 25–30.
According to a statement from the Limburg province police, “No one was hurt, and the robbers seized possession of valuables.”
Following that, police said they immediately began searching for the culprits by closing neighboring highways and a significant road tunnel.
Two suspects were taken into custody when four police cars stopped a grey automobile with a foreign license plate on the nearby A2 freeway.
“Two arrests were made as a result of the police investigation, which was launched right after the crime… The police inquiry is still chugging along in full force. The two other suspects’ whereabouts are the main focus.
Jos Stassen, a visitor, told the Dutch public broadcaster NOS that he went to the show on Tuesday so that he could view the work unhurriedly.
Typically, it is tranquil and relatively quiet. But then I heard a lot of noise, turned around, and then I saw those men,” he reportedly said, according to NOS.
“One began hitting, and the others shooed everyone away.” A weapon was also visible. Even though it happened extremely quickly and for a brief period of time, I’m still trembling a little.
Another witness claimed to have seen two people engaged in the robbery, one brandishing a gun and the other a sledgehammer.
Maastricht resident Julie Bartholomeus told De Limburger: “I thought very quickly to leave.” We ran to the first exit because my mother was a little further away.
One of the largest art shows in Europe, Tefaf attracts tens of thousands of people each year.
Security personnel at the fair moved swiftly to disarm a suspect, and Dutch police arrived on the scene in no time. A Tefaf spokeswoman stated via email that no one was hurt in the event.
It was stated that the fair had “strong protocols in the event of a security breach.”
All visitors, exhibitors, and personnel were safely evacuated once these were carefully followed. Now that the fair has reopened, it continued.
It stated that the fair and the MECC conference center where it is being hosted were “working with the authorities” and would make no further comments.
After taking a break due to the Covid epidemic, the fair, which has been running for more than 30 years, was returning this year.
According to art investigator Arthur Brand, the burglars might originate from Eastern Europe.
“The sheer audacity to perpetrate a crime and attack display cases on the packed Tefaf while disguised with caps and moustaches, reminds me of an Eastern European method,” he remarked.
“There are gangs who have specialized in this tactic throughout Eastern Europe.”
Tefaf offers hundreds of pieces, including a drawing by a Dutch Old Master from the 17th century that is being sold for one million euros.
The fair has previously been the focus of criminal activity.
At the 2011 exhibition, a ring and a diamond necklace belonging to a London jeweler were taken for 860,000 euros (£741,000 at the time).