Austrian police are investigating the theft of a 200-carat platinum necklace set with 673 diamonds from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. The piece, which once belonged to Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt and was reportedly worn at a 1939 wedding, was snatched during opening hours on Thursday afternoon. Two unmasked men entered the MAK, shattered a glass display case with a hammer, and fled with the jewellery before officers could respond. Security camera footage has been released showing the suspects.
Authorities deployed units throughout the city centre and deployed a police tracking dog in pursuit of the perpetrators. Investigators suspect the men were carrying out a professional contract job on behalf of an organized criminal network. The necklace, dating from 1939, was part of a Van Cleef & Arpels retrospective comprising more than 300 pieces spanning the Parisian jewellery house's 120-year history. The exhibition, which had been on display since June, has been suspended indefinitely.
The MAK theft follows a wave of European museum heists. Thieves broke into the Louvre in Paris last October and escaped within minutes with crown jewels valued at 88 million euros. A museum in Spain reported a robbery of bronze age gold artefacts, while a Sicilian institution lost four works by the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina this month. Police have appealed to the public for information regarding the Vienna incident.