Two men broke a glass display case outside the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts yesterday afternoon, taking a platinum and diamond necklace that weighs more than 200 carats. The thieves carried what appeared to be a real firearm, allowing them to overpower the security staff and flee toward the Vienna Stadtpark.
The necklace, designed for Queen Nazli of the former Egyptian royal family, was on display in a Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition and was last worth an estimated $3‑4 m. When asked, police said no one was injured during the incident.
The theft is part of a growing list of museum heists across Europe, including a recent grab of Bronze Age artefacts in Spain and stolen Renaissance paintings in Italy. Europol noted that “museum thefts are becoming increasingly aggressive, with a shift towards violent and forceful methods,” suggesting the involvement of new criminal networks.
Police released two CCTV images that unmask the suspects and are urging anyone with information to come forward. Dogs and forensic experts have been deployed in Vienna and Lower Austria as investigators analyse the footage and search for leads.
The exhibition has reopened, but security around the museum has been tightened following the incident, prompting a broader reassessment of protective measures in cultural institutions across Europe.
