Trial to open next month in spectacular German jewelry theft

BERLIN — Six men volition spell connected proceedings successful Germany adjacent period implicit their alleged relation successful the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a Dresden depository successful 2019, a tribunal said Wednesday.

The Dresden authorities tribunal said that the proceedings volition unfastened connected Jan. 28, German quality bureau dpa reported. The suspects, German nationals aged 22 to 28, are accused of organized robbery and arson. Court dates are scheduled done the extremity of March.

Prosecutors accidental that the men are liable for the break-in astatine the eastbound city’s Green Vault Museum connected Nov. 25, 2019, and the theft of 21 pieces of jewelry containing much than 4,300 diamonds, with a full insured worth of astatine slightest 113.8 cardinal euros ($129 million).

They allegedly laid a occurrence conscionable earlier the break-in to chopped the powerfulness proviso for thoroughfare lights extracurricular the museum, and besides acceptable occurrence to a car successful a adjacent store earlier fleeing to Berlin.

Searches truthful acold person not yielded the missing treasures. Prosecutors said successful September that the suspects, who are each successful custody, had not responded to the accusations against them.

The Green Vault is 1 of the world’s oldest museums. It was established successful 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising astir 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and different materials.