600‑diamond necklace stolen from Vienna museum

By Bethany Bell, Vienna correspondent

A brazen daylight robbery left the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in shock when two men smashed a glass display case and grabbed a 600‑diamond necklace, believed to be worth more than $4 million. The theft was caught on CCTV, and a police release showed the suspects, who are now flagged for a global manhunt.

The necklace, crafted by Van Cleef & Arpels for the former Egyptian royal family, is a 200‑carat spectacle of plating and gemstones. It was on display in a special exhibition that ran until September, after a careful security plan was drafted with the jeweler’s input.

MAK director Lilli Hollein said the incident “hit us hard” and stressed that all staff followed ready‑made protocols. No injuries were reported, she added.

Police released a photo of the suspects, unmasked by security cameras, and urged anyone with knowledge of the break‑in or the disappearance of the necklace to come forward. One suspect was allegedly armed with a real firearm.

After taking the necklace, the pair fled toward Vienna’s Stadtpark, the museum’s immediate south side. Forensics teams and police dog units have been deployed across Vienna and Lower Austria, analysing CCTV footage and other evidence.

The theft is part of a string of high‑profile burglaries at European museums, including recent heists in Spain, Italy and the Louvre. Europol notes a trend toward violent, forceful thefts that could indicate new organised criminal networks.

The MAK exhibition, minus the missing necklace, reopened later in the week as authorities pushed a new security checklist for all cultural institutions.

The incident continues to raise concerns over museum security in a continent where priceless artefacts have increasingly become a target for organised crime.