THE HAGUE, June 28, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Suspected armed robbers raided one of
Europe's biggest art fairs in the Dutch city of Maastricht in broad daylight
on Tuesday, police said, with video showing men smashing a display case with
a sledgehammer.
"Police are investigating a possible armed robbery of the TEFAF in
Maastricht. Four suspects are believed to be involved. They are now searched
for by multiple units," Limburg province police said on Twitter.
Police later said they had arrested two people and had closed a number of
nearby roads and a major road tunnel.
Dutch media said the display case targeted by the robbers contained items
from a London jeweller.
Dramatic video on social media showed four men dressed in smart clothes, flat
caps and glasses smashing their way into a jewellery case at the show.
Two of the men brandished what appeared to be weapons at a bystander, who
tried to intervene using a large glass vase full of flowers.
The European Fine Art Fair, commonly known as TEFAF, is one of the biggest in
Europe and regularly draws tens of thousands of visitors.