Armed robber helped steal multimillion euro necklace from Vienna museum

One of the two men who stole a multimillion-euro necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts, known as the MAK, was carrying a suspected real firearm, ORF reported. The second man had a hammer, which he used to smash the display case.

The armed man did not fire the weapon but openly displayed it to clear a path, police spokeswoman Anna Gutt said. The two men escaped with the necklace, and their trail was lost near the Stadtpark next to the museum.

Investigators were securing evidence and surveillance footage from inside the MAK on Friday. Police were also reviewing recordings from nearby streets and underground stations and questioning witnesses. The case is being investigated as aggravated theft involving robbery.

A national and international search is under way. Police said the suspects are slim men about 1.70 to 1.75 metres tall, with dark hair and dark beards. They were wearing black outer clothing and dark trainers with white soles.

The MAK’s exhibition Glanzstücke reopened on Friday. The museum said it had reviewed the conditions for reopening with police and that safe exhibition operations were guaranteed.

The exhibition, which opened in June, features about 500 objects, including more than 300 pieces from Van Cleef and Arpels and over 200 from the MAK collection. The museum did not disclose security measures for the exhibits or the necklace’s insurance value, citing the ongoing investigation.