Armed raiders pulled off a £52 million sterling diamond heist on a Dutch airport, police confirmed today.
The thieves, disguised as airline workers, made off with a van loaded with diamonds, including a £1.2 million consignment from a London firm. Officers based at Schiphol Airport, close to Amsterdam, said the gang hijacked a KLM cargo vehicle loaded with high-value goods as it drove across a runway at around 10 a.m.
"We believe the gang arrived in a car and forced their way into a KLM vehicle loaded with high-value goods," said a spokesman for the Dutch Royal Marechausse.
"They were armed, but it is not clear if they were carrying guns or other weapons. A team of 25 officers are making inquiries and attempting to discover how much was stolen."
It is understood that the cargo was bound for the Belgian city Antwerp, Europe's diamond capital, and worth at least £52 million. Police said that the KLM van was later recovered in the city of Hoofddorp and confirmed it is being scoured for DNA evidence.
Mr Michel Einhorn, managing director of Cool Diamonds, based in Greville Street, London, said his company lost £1.2 million of stock.
"This was a raid just like the Brinks Mat robbery, possibly the biggest diamond heist since then. The team forced their way into a warehouse and drove off with the cargo," he said.
"Our goods are covered by insurance and had been specially marked, meaning they can be identified even if they are re-cut and sold on.
"We are certain that the thieves will be caught, we very recently saw a thief convicted because he tried to sell on some of our marked diamonds." Officers said that airport workers threatened in the raid were "distressed" but unharmed.