Thieves steal 600-diamond necklace from Vienna museum in broad daylight - BBC News

Police are hunting two suspects they believe bought a ticket for the exhibition to get at the jewellery.

Image source, LPD WienImage caption, Vienna police released CCTV images of the suspects

An international manhunt is under way for two men who stole a necklace decorated with more than 600 diamonds from a museum in Vienna after buying a ticket for the exhibition in which it was being displayed.

Police said the two suspects smashed a glass display case at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) on Thursday afternoon and grabbed the platinum and diamond necklace, which is believed to be worth more than $4m (£3m; €3.5m).

The necklace, which was designed for the former Egyptian royal family, was part of an exhibition on the jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, due to run at MAK until September.

The theft is the latest in a series of spectacular heists of artefacts at European museums.