Attack on the Tefaf fair in Maastricht: gangsters in jackets – panorama

The fair “The European Fine Art Fair” (Tefaf) is something like the luxury boutique of the art world. Particularly valuable old paintings and works of art are exhibited here, and museums and collectors like to shop at Tefaf to complete their collections. There were years when two-thirds of all old master paintings for sale worldwide were at Tefaf, and this year the organizers in Maastricht, Netherlands, proudly presented their highlights. A painting by the Italian painter Luca Giordano, for example, which recently appeared in a private collection in Venice, a 600-year-old Buddha statue, or a rare table from 19th-century Paris.

But treasures like these attracted not only the old and new moneyed nobility, who traditionally travel by private jet, to the first Tefaf since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, but also several armed people. So four men stormed into the exhibition hall on Tuesday afternoon while it was still in operation. While two of them held the visitors at bay with weapons, another smashed a display case with a sledgehammer, after which everyone fled. No one was injured in the robbery, shortly afterwards the police came and the fair was cleared.

It is not yet clear who the four perpetrators are and what exactly they took with them. The police in Maastricht only reported that jewelry had been lost from a jeweler’s stand. On Tuesday, she arrested two young men who were driving on the motorway in a gray vehicle with Belgian license plates. According to Dutch media, their lawyer said the arrest was a misunderstanding. No weapons or jewels were found in the car.

Jackets, horn-rimmed glasses, extravagant flat caps

What is certain is that the perpetrators acted quite professionally. A video taken by a visitor during the attack shows that they wore jackets, horn-rimmed glasses or extravagant flat caps that made them indistinguishable from the well-heeled trade fair clientele (the time once wrote that nowhere in the world do you see “so many walking sticks decorated with silver and ivory” as at the Tefaf). They managed to get through the fair’s security checks and were undeterred by a visitor who tried to throw a giant vase of flowers at them.

It’s not the first crime at the art fair. In 2008, a diamond necklace worth 1.2 million euros was stolen at Tefaf, and in 2010 thieves stole a ring and pendant worth 860,000 euros. But Tuesday’s attack is reminiscent of spectacular crimes in recent years related to organized crime. In 2014, several armed men stormed the jewelry department of the Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe. In 79 seconds, they smashed showcases with axes and machetes and stole jewelry and watches worth 800,000 euros. The perpetrators, who were later sentenced to long prison terms, come from a large criminal family.

Another extended family is said to be responsible for the disappearance of the jewels from the Green Vault in Dresden in 2020. A display case was also smashed here during a nocturnal burglary and valuable historical jewelery was stolen. The suspects are currently on trial in Dresden, and suspected helpers are still being investigated.

Tab pocket checks

When valuable art is stolen or stolen, the question of security precautions always arises. History has often shown that perpetrators exploit weaknesses in the process. This may also be the case in the current case. That Handelsblatt criticized that there were “blatant gaps in the security concept”. At the entrance, women’s handbags in particular would be checked, while bagless men could apparently also walk through to the old houses and antiques with weapons. There were no special locks with metal detectors, as they are common at other art fairs such as Art Basel.

When asked by SZ, Tefaf announced that it was currently unable to comment on individual points. However, the security team reacted immediately and quickly evacuated the hall, all visitors, exhibitors and employees were brought to safety. There are also strict safety requirements that have been met precisely. The trade fair was resumed on Tuesday, the Tefaf lasts until June 30th.

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