Egyptian queen's 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab raid

Austrian police are actively hunting two men believed to be responsible for the audacious theft of a 200-carat platinum necklace, lavishly encrusted with 673 diamonds, from Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). The priceless piece, once owned by Egyptian royalty, was on loan to the museum.

Authorities released security camera images of the suspects, who purchased tickets to the exhibition before shattering a glass display case with a hammer during Thursday afternoon's opening hours. They then fled with the necklace in an unknown direction. Police deployed tracking dogs and conducted searches throughout the city center in an effort to apprehend them.

Investigators suspect the men may have been acting on behalf of a criminal organization, describing the theft as a likely "contract job." The stolen necklace was part of a jewelry exhibition featuring over 300 works by French designers Van Cleef & Arpels. The exhibition had been running since June.

The necklace previously belonged to Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt and was worn at her daughter Fawzia's 1939 wedding to Iran's Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It was sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2015 for $4.3 million. The MAK exhibition showcased approximately 200 unique items from its collection and the history of the Parisian jewelry house. The exhibition was temporarily closed following the theft, and a planned guided tour was canceled.

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The perpetrators fled with the jewellery in an unknown direction.