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London police make arrest in gem heist

Police in London yesterday arrested one man over a daring heist that netted almost £40 million (US$65 million) in jewelry on Tuesday.

Two smartly dressed armed robbers walked into an exclusive store in London’s chic Mayfair district and stole what is believed to be the biggest gem heist in British history, Scotland Yard said on Tuesday.

Scotland Yard said the suspect was not one of the two well-dressed men shown widely in CCTV footage released by authorities on Tuesday.

Police said those two men were still at large and that there were at least four suspects.

Posing as clients, the criminals made their way past a security guard after arriving in a black cab at Graff jewelers in the West End of London last Thursday. Once they had been allowed through the airlock door into the prestigious New Bond Street shop, the men, dressed in business suits, pulled out handguns, forced staff on to the floor, and grabbed rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches.

CCTV footage released by Scotland Yard showed the pair entering the jewelers. They fired two warning shots into the ground before escaping in a series of vehicles across central London.

The extent of the heist was kept secret for nearly a week. Police have now revealed the items stolen were worth £40 million, dwarfing Britain’s previous biggest diamond jewelry robbery, in 2003, when items worth £23 million were stolen, also from Graff’s.

Police also released images of some of the 43 items of stolen jewelry, including a pair of white round diamond double-hoop earrings, a yellow diamond flower necklace, a platinum white Marquise diamond ring, and a men’s chronograph 45mm watch.

After seizing the gems, the men briefly took a female staff member hostage, apparently to ensure they were not trapped between the security doors. As they left they fired a shot into the ground before getting into a blue BMW.

The robbers’ escape almost came to an abrupt end when their car crashed into a taxi in a nearby street. They abandoned the car, firing a second shot into the ground as members of the public pursued them, before making off in a silver Mercedes. They then changed cars again, climbing into a black vehicle.

The men — both in their 30s with London accents — are thought to have passed the stolen jewelry to a waiting motorcyclist, who made a quick getaway. At least two other men were acting as getaway drivers in three cars, police believe.

Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace, of London’s Metropolitan police flying squad said this had been a well-planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape.

The suspects’ details have been circulated to all ports and airports.

Antonia Kimbell, from the Art Loss Register’s recovery unit, said the thieves were likely to have fled abroad within hours of the robbery.
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