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Thieves snatch Swedish royal jewels in daylight heist
STOCKHOLM, Aug 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Robbers who nabbed two 17th century
royal crowns and an orb from a Swedish cathedral remained at large on
Wednesday, a day after fleeing their daring midday heist by motorboat.
The thieves, who have not been identified, and the jewels are being sought
internationally via Interpol, Swedish police spokesman Stefan Dangardt said,
noting the objects were a “national treasure” and would likely be “very
difficult to sell”.
The 1611 gold burial crowns belonging to King Karl IX and his wife Queen
Christina were originally interred with the couple but were later exhumed and
had been on display in a locked cabinet in the Strangnas Cathedral, located
100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Stockholm.
“We have as yet no value of the stolen goods, except that it is a national
treasure,” Dangardt told AFP.
“Several people were seen leaving the church by boat or waterscooter after
the theft. We have spoken to witnesses, but we are interested in further
information from anyone that has made any observations,” he said.
The theft occurred just before noon on Tuesday, and police quickly had
helicopters, patrols, and search dogs looking for the perpetrators but their
efforts have so far proved fruitless, Dangardt said.
“There is of course going to be a lot of media interest in these types of
objects. There will be pictures in the media. It’s just not possible to sell
these kinds of objects,” the national police coordinator for thefts of
cultural artifacts, Maria Ellior, told news agency TT.
“So we can only speculate about (the thieves) intentions,” she added.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1702 hrs