$4M Diamond Necklace Stolen from Vienna Museum

Austrian authorities have launched an international manhunt for two men who carried out a brazen theft at Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) on Thursday afternoon. The suspects purchased admission tickets like ordinary visitors before smashing a glass display case and making off with a platinum necklace adorned with more than 600 diamonds, valued at over $4 million.

According to police statements, the robbery was executed with speed and precision. One of the thieves appeared to be carrying a real firearm during the operation. After seizing the valuable piece, the pair fled toward a city park located south of the museum.

The stolen necklace is an extraordinary historical artifact. Created by the renowned jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels for Egypt's former royal family, it was worn by Queen Nazli in 1939 at the wedding of her daughter Princess Fawzia to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who would later become Shah of Iran.

The necklace features 673 diamonds weighing over 200 carats in total. Van Cleef & Arpels has described the piece as a "triumph of white jewelry."

השרשרת שנגנבה (צילום: משרד הפנים האוסטרי)

The necklace was on loan as part of a special exhibition showcasing Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, scheduled to run at the museum through September. When it was sold at auction a decade ago, its value was estimated between $3.6 million and $4.6 million.

Lilli Hollein, the museum's director, said in a statement that "the theft of this precious jewel has hit us hard." She emphasized that the museum had developed a special security plan for the exhibition in collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels, and that "security issues were taken very seriously and all security measures were carefully prepared."

Hollein added that staff responded calmly and followed established protocols when the "armed incident" occurred, and that no one was injured. She noted that the museum had thoroughly reviewed security measures in preparation for the exhibition, "especially in light of incidents at major museums in recent years."

Vienna police have released images of the two suspects, who were not wearing masks, captured on security cameras. Authorities are appealing to the public for any information that might help locate them. Police dog units have been deployed across Vienna and the Lower Austria region, while forensic experts are analyzing evidence and security footage.