Divers in Berlin search for part of German museum’s spectacular diamond heist | Abroad

A week ago, German authorities announced that they had seized much of the original loot in Berlin. These were 31 objects that had been recovered. The stolen jewels contained more than 4,300 diamonds and other precious stones, with a total value of more than 113 million euros. The stolen coins were “unique and irreplaceable treasures of exceptional cultural and historical significance”.

On November 25, 2019, burglars broke into the treasure room of the Residenzschloss castle museum in the Saxon capital early in the morning, where they recovered their spectacular loot in just eight minutes. They smashed the display cases with the jewels and the diamonds with an axe. They had disabled the burglar alarm by means of arson and they had sawn off and replaced the grille in front of a window in the museum a few days earlier.

Thieves have stolen the crown jewels of Augustus II the Strong, aka the “Sun King of Saxony”. It is 18th century jewelry, ranging from brooches and epaulets in diamonds and brilliants to a necklace of Saxony pearls and a sable set with 770 diamonds. Together they took 21 objects. They set their getaway car on fire and left them in a parking lot.

Prosecutors had offered 500,000 euros for the tip that would lead to the treasure of jewelry. Experts previously feared the treasure would never be found as they considered it likely the stolen gems would be processed for resale.

Since the beginning of this year, a trial has been underway in Dresden against six suspects for theft and arson. The defendants, arrested in November 2020 in Berlin after months of video footage and DNA analysis, belong to a criminal gang of Lebanese origin, the Remmo clan, which is very active in Germany.