DRESDEN – Thieves smashed display cases and grabbed priceless jewels from an eastern German museum on Monday, police said.
They forced their way into Dresden’s Gruenes Gewoelbe, or Green Vault Museum and got away with at least three sets of early 18th century jewelry, including diamonds and rubies, according to the museum staff.
The haul was worth up to 1-billion euros ($1.1 billion), a report said.
Security camera footage showed two men breaking in through a grilled window. The alarm sounded before 5 a.m. local time (0359 GMT) and officers were there five minutes later. But the burglars had escaped.
It would be impossible to sell such unique, identifiable items on the open market, said Marion Ackermann, director of museums in the surrounding state of Saxony.(Reuters)
