Burglars stole priceless jewelry and diamonds

Burglars stole priceless jewelry and diamonds

Thieves burglarized Dresden's historic Green Vault museum in the early hours today.

At around 5 am local time the security system of the complex was tipped and two suspects were shown in the jewelry room of the 10-room museum and took three complete sets of jewelry.

It's not entirely clear what was taken but officials said around 100 pieces were stolen including diamonds on gemstones. The jewelry stored in the vault is the equivalent of the crown jewels in the UK and have been held in the area for 300 years.

The artifacts are priceless but if the jewellery was broken down and pieced out, it would be considerably less valuable.

The police have mentioned two suspicious fires in the area around the time of the theft and a damaged box that turned off the nearby streetlights.

Two-and-a-half years ago, German thieves were also in the news after stealing a giant gold coin weighing 100kg. At today's prices, it was worth $4.68m. They smashed a window and then used a wheelbarrow to transport it across railway tracks and to a getaway car.

After an anonymous tip, a security guard who recently started working at the museum was charged with the crime along with three family members. The trial is underway and will continue in 2020. The coin hasn't been recovered and was likely melted down.

The largest gold heist in history was in 1976 when eight men stole 12 tons of gold bars from the British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut along with $160m of silver, platinum, gems, bonds and currency. No one has ever been charged with the crime, which occurred after blasting through the wall of an adjacent church.