Belgium - US$50 million Diamond Robbery

Описание: (19 Feb 2013)

Gunmen make hole in airport fence and snatch US$50 million worth of diamonds from plane
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AP TELEVISION
Antwerp - 19 Feb 2013
1. Close of a diamond on display at the World Diamond Centre in Antwerp
2. Close of a diamond on display in a package
3. People walking downy he street in the Antwerp diamond district
4. Medium of a Helvetic airplane parked at a gate
5. Exterior of Brussels Airport


Police investigate scene of US$50 million diamond robbery
880166
AP TELEVISION
Zaventem - 19 Feb 2013
6. Various of fence at Brussels Airport through which thieves allegedly entered


STORYLINE:

On February 18th 2013 eight masked gunmen forced their way through the security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove onto the tarmac and snatched some 50 (m) million US dollars worth of diamonds from the hold of a Swiss-bound plane without firing a shot.

The gang responsible for one of the biggest diamond heists in recent years used two black vehicles with a flashing blue police lights in their daring raid late on February 18th, said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office.

Police said they found a burnt-out minivan believed to be involved in the robbery near the airport later on February 18th.

The heist was estimated at some 50 (m) million US dollars in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf from Antwerp's World Diamond Centre.

"We are mainly concerned of the way that it was able to be possible that this happened. I mean, the fact that you normally think that an airport and certainly an international airport is a very secure environment, which is exactly what you need when you are trading diamonds and you transport diamonds," she added.

The robbers forced their way through a perimeter fence, at a place where two work sites obstructed a clear view, Bijnens said.

There were no details about how the hole was opened but airport authorities said it must have taken more than simply blasting through it with a vehicle.

The robbers drove up to the Swiss passenger plane some 20 minutes before departure time, brandishing their machine guns. Then they methodically broke into the hold, which was accessed from outside, to choose their loot.

The robbers finished their clinical operation with a high-speed departure through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within barely five minutes, Bijnens said.

The Swiss flight, bound for Zurich and operated by Helvetic Airways, was cancelled.

A decade ago the port city of Antwerp, the world capital of diamond-cutting, was the scene of what was probably one of the biggest diamond heists in history.

Robbers then took precious stones, jewels, gold and securities from the high-security vaults at Antwerp's Diamond Centre, yielding loot that police in 2003 estimated to be worth about 100 (m) million at the time.

February 18th's heist though was a fresh blow to the Antwerp industrial diamond centre which prides itself on security and discretion.

Antwerp's Diamond Centre stands in the heart of the high-surveillance diamond district where police and hundreds of cameras work around the clock, and security has been beefed up further since the spectacular 2003 robbery.

Shipments to the airport leave aboard armoured trucks on an almost daily basis.

The shipment was not extraordinary, since on any given day, some 200 (m) million US dollars in polished and rough stones go through the Antwerp diamond centre.

February 18th's parcels contained rough and polished stones heading for Switzerland, where many of the 120 parcels were intended for different handlers.

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