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Before impassive look between the public and gallery owners, a group of commandos gave a twist at a prestigious art fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Four gunmen broke in smashed with hammers a reliquary and precious jewels were taken. Dutch police managed to capture two of the suspects.
Within seconds, the group of criminals took the valuable jewels that were on display in the European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF), which brings together great paintings and coveted antiques. all was left recorded on video from a visitor who recorded the incident with his phone at the Maastricht Convention Center, a town located 170 kilometers south of Amsterdam and close to the Belgian border.
In the images, which last 34 seconds, the four criminals are observed elegant casual clothes, with jacket, elegant trousers, cap and cap. One of them holds a sledgehammerwith which it bumps into the window of the London jewelry store Symbolic and pursuit.
Robbery at the Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands.
When the alarm goes off, the man with the bat hit the glass repeatedly protector until its destruction.
It is guarded by three people: one keeps part of the loot in a bag and the other two keep staff and visitors at bay. One of them threatens a person who tries throw him a vase the attacker to stop the assault.
Eventually, after putting the jewels away, they trotted off down a corridor. Police in the Netherlands confirmed that the thieves took the jewelry, although they have not yet given any details loot evaluation.
Arrested and interrogated for hammer robbery in the Netherlands
The event is held with strict security measures and guards check visitors’ luggage one by one. That’s why no one could explain how they entered strangers with a sledgehammer and at least two guns.
The Congress Center was temporarily evacuated after the robbery. The organization stressed that the security team acted “quickly” and “the Dutch police arrived at the scene after a few minutes, no one was injured”.
Authorities launched an investigation minutes after the accident and launched an operation to find the suspects as well as the gray car they were driving in. They closed the nearest highway and tunnel and lined up a police helicopter and sniffer dogsIn addition to collecting the statements of witnesses.
So far, the police have arrest two suspects were Belgians, aged 22 and 26, arrested while on board the car searched, which had a Belgian license plate and he was heading for the border between that country and the Netherlands.
Visitors to the Tefaf fair in Maastricht were evacuated after the hammer robbery. photo EFE
The fair – a one of the largest on the continent in its specialty- celebrates its 35th edition from 24 to 30 June, with over 240 gallery owners from twenty countries and representing various sectors, including design and antique dealers. It is the first edition since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
In previous releases, TEFAF attracted a few 70,000 visitorsincluding buyers and collectors from all over the world.
This year visitors are welcomed by the work “Poplar near Nuenen” (1885), by Vincent van Goghplaced in the middle of an improvised flower garden.
Also you can see a self-portrait of Artemisia Gentileschi as “Cleopatra on her deathbed clutching a viper” (1620), offered by 7.5 million eurosand “The Return of the Prodigal Son” (1924), by Giorgio de Chirico, of 12 million euros.
DS
Source: Clarin
