The two suspects arrested by the police yesterday in connection with the robbery at the TEFAF art fair in Maastricht are still in custody. The police inform NU.nl that the two are currently being questioned.
The police are not yet able to say much about the involvement of the suspects. Limburg media report that no loot was found in the car of the two suspects. According to the lawyers of the men, they have not been to the art fair and it is a misunderstanding. The police emphasize that this is not information that has been distributed through them.
In conversation with VTM, TEFAF director Bart Drenth says that the robbery of the four men is on camera. “We know exactly what they did,” said Drenth. The armed robbers would have entered within ten minutes, committed the robbery and left again. The images have been shared with police and are under investigation.
There are also various stories about the loot, which cannot be confirmed by the police. The police said in a press release on Tuesday that jewelry had been stolen, but nothing about its value. Various media report that a necklace worth 27 million euros from designer Joel Arthur Rosenthal is said to have been stolen.
No statements about increased security
A TEFAF spokesperson could not say whether the jeweler’s stand will remain on the exchange after the robbery.
Securitas, the company that provides TEFAF security, cannot make any statements about a possible increased security of the stock exchange. “We don’t want to make certain people wiser,” said a spokesperson. Securitas provides general security for the MECC conference center in Maastricht, where the TEFAF is held. The exhibitors are responsible for the security of their own stand, if they so choose.
The international art fair in Maastricht was rocked on Tuesday morning by a robbery in which four suspects smashed showcases. MECC was briefly evacuated.