Thieves steal 600-diamond necklace from Vienna museum in broad daylight

Still images, appearing somewhat pixelated, show two individuals dressed in dark tops walking through an indoor public area.

An international search has been initiated for two males who stole a necklace featuring over 600 diamonds from a museum in Vienna, after they had purchased entry tickets to the specific display where it was being shown.

Authorities stated that on Thursday afternoon, the two suspects shattered a glass case at Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) and seized the platinum and diamond neckpiece, estimated to be worth more than $4 million (£3 million; €3.5 million).

This particular necklace, originally created for the former Egyptian royal family, formed part of a display dedicated to the jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, which was scheduled to continue at MAK until September.

This incident marks the latest in a series of high-profile thefts of valuable items from museums across Europe.

Vienna police released pictures of the two individuals, whose faces were visible, captured by surveillance cameras. They are urging members of the public to provide any relevant information.

In a public statement, the police indicated that one of the perpetrators was also thought to be carrying what appeared to be a genuine firearm.

According to the police, after taking the necklace, they escaped "in the direction of the Vienna Stadtpark," located just south of the museum.

The necklace, weighing more than 200 carats, was worn by Queen Nazli in 1939 for her daughter's wedding to the future Shah of Iran.

Lilli Hollein, the general director of MAK, expressed that "the theft of a highly valuable piece of jewellery... has hit us hard."

She affirmed in a statement that MAK had collaborated with Van Cleef & Arpels to develop a security strategy specifically for this exhibition, adding that "Security issues were taken very seriously and all security measures were carefully prepared."

Hollein reported that museum staff maintained composure and adhered to established protocols when the "armed incident" unfolded, confirming that no one sustained injuries.

She further mentioned that MAK had conducted a thorough review of its security measures prior to the exhibition, "particularly in light of the incidents at major museums in recent years."

Also on Thursday, a significant collection of prehistoric jewelry and artifacts was stolen from a Spanish museum.

Earlier this month, four Renaissance paintings were taken from a museum in Sicily, while three works by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse, valued at millions of euros, were removed from a museum in Parma earlier in the year.

These previous thefts followed a daring daytime robbery at the Louvre in Paris last October, where a masked gang absconded with priceless jewels.

The exhibition, excluding the missing necklace, resumed operations later on Friday.

This succession of thefts has prompted concerns regarding the security arrangements at European cultural institutions.