Divers in Berlin search for part of the astonishing diamond heist from a German museum | abroad

A week ago, German authorities announced that they had seized a large portion of the original loot in Berlin. It concerns 31 recovered objects. The stolen jewelry contained more than 4,300 diamonds and other precious stones, with a combined value of more than €113 million. The stolen items were “unique and irreplaceable treasures of exceptional cultural and historical significance”.

On November 25, 2019, thieves broke into the museum’s treasure room at the Residenzschloss castle in the Saxon capital early in the morning, collecting their staggering loot in just eight minutes. They smashed the showcases with jewels and diamonds with an axe. They had disabled the arson burglar alarm and had deployed and replaced the grille in front of the museum window a few days earlier.

Thieves stole the crown jewels of Augustus II the Strong, also known as the “Sun King of Saxony”. It’s all about 18th-century jewels, from diamond-encrusted brooches and epaulettes to a Saxon and sable pearl necklace set with 770 diamonds. Together they took 21 pieces. They set their empty car on fire and left them in a parking garage.

Prosecutors had offered €500,000 in tipping, which would lead to the treasure hoard. Experts had previously feared that the treasure might not be found again because they considered the stolen gems likely to be processed for resale.

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