This is the story of how one gang of thieves pulled off the heist of the century and did the impossible. They bypassed cameras, the combo dial, the keyed lock, magnetic sensors, the locked steel gate, light sensors, heat and motion sensors, and keypad disarming sensors. The book goes through the background behind the crime, scrupulously detailing the work of the School of Turin, a group of mostly small-time thieves who pulled off the score of a lifetime. Hi dearies , I have a question for you … Does crime compensate ? While the heist itself comprises most of the book, the authors discuss culture and industry information as needed. The heist took place during the weekend of 15-16 February 2003 in the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) located in the centre of the gem district in Antwerp, Belgium. Two stories underground, an impossibly complex vault stored hundreds of millions of dollars in stones, gold, silver, and cash. The vault of the Antwerp Diamond Centre was at that time, considered as one of the most secure vaults in the world. How could anyone break in, without being caught?! The incredible story of how a gang breached what was thought to be one of the most secure vaults in the world, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, to steal around ninety-one million pounds worth of diamonds, gold and jewellery. Notarbartolo claims that they only got $20 million of merchandise. While law enforcement believes that Notarbartolo was the ringleader, he has said that an unnamed diamond dealer recruited him. (Objective meaning the value of stolen goods is accurate. During this panick, the robber threw out a few binbags that held their burglary tools, money, some small diamonds, some paper and so on. Postal Service Faked Delivery Times So Amazon Prime Customers Wouldn't Be Reimbursed, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Finally, on Feb. 16, 2003, they executed their plan. … Two years were spend planning the theft and the description of this time makes for slow reading. The AWDC used elaborate security mechanisms to protect diamonds, including a private security force, a lock with 100 million possible combinations, infrared heat detectors, a seismic sensor, Doppler radar and a … Find all the transport options for your trip from Amsterdam to Antwerp diamond heist right here. The Antwerp diamond heist played just like a scene out of Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job. The Antwerp Diamond Heist of 2003 has provided the inspiration for a new Italian scripted series unveiled today by global streamer Amazon Prime Video. Later, he confessed that he went out that night to a restaurant and a drink, and that he returned around 3 in the night. Authorities say there is $100 million still missing. Antwerp diamond heist . Antwerp World Diamond Centre The suspects Leonardo Notarbartolo, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years based on circumstantial evidence. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, and jewellery valued at more than $100 million. After this look at the Antwerp diamond heist, read up on the Berlin gold coin heist that’s as unbelievable as they come. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was one of the largest robberies in history. With Eddie Marsan. All cameras were covered by black binbags and attached with fine rope. Rome2rio makes travelling from Amsterdam to Antwerp diamond heist easy. Notarbartolo, who was a tenant of the Diamond Centre, was found guilty of orchestrating the heist. Haul: $100 million. The crew breaks into the Garnet building skyscraper with the intent of robbing Garnet's vault of its valuable jewels. The Antwerp Diamond Heist: $100 Million Gone And Never Recovered. With Eddie Marsan. Stolen artwork's value is difficult to quantify.) On the way back, Speedy had a panic attack, and made Notarbartolo pull the car over. Though arrests were made and time was served, most of the diamonds stolen remain unrecovered. Where: Antwerp World Diamond Centre, Belgium. After the robbery, they hauled the diamonds into a couple cars. Then, they loaded up bags of diamonds and other jewels. This room was closed by a simple wooden door that can be opened by any grandma. If only Leonardo Notarbatolo decided to act on his own, the smartest diamond robbery ever could have been successful. Leonardo … Antwerp is the world’s prime diamond trading hub; eight in 10 of all rough and half of all polished diamonds are traded in Antwerp. The vault beneath the Antwerp Diamond Centre was left open, diamonds and other items of worth scattered along the floor, as it was discovered when the Centre opened for business on Monday morning. They used aluminum to trick the magnetic field and stripped plastic off the wires of the sensor’s circuits. The same with the security. The other robbers in The School of Turin got five years each. It occurred in the diamond district of Belgium on the weekend of February 15-16, 2003. It's even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the Diamond Heist of the Century! I think visitors liked it, or at least 10k felt it worth clicking in a single day. In February 2003, Notarbartolo was arrested for heading a ring of Italian thieves. Diamond heist, Antwerp - $100million In 2003, thieves cleared vaults at the Antwerp Diamond Centre during a weekend, with diamonds, gold and jewellery worth over $100million taken. With hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. After calming his friend down, they recovered most of the contents and sped off. It's not the first time that Antwerp's centuries-old diamond trade has been targeted. Here is the story of the “heist of the century,” the Antwerp Diamond Heist. Antwerp, Belgium is one of the diamond capitals of the world, with 80 percent of the world’s diamonds passing through the city before being sold on the market. After planning an attack for four years, the thieves ultimately … The alarm system was still armed. The Antwerp street of Hoveniersstraat might look drab but hides a glittering jewel industry that handles most of the world's diamonds. Of all the modern heists on this list, the Antwerp diamond heist of 2003 may be the one that most closely resembles the plot of a Hollywood thriller.. Masterminded by professional thief Leonardo Notarbartolo, the target was nothing less than the biggest diamond district in the world, where the vast majority of the world’s rough diamonds were and still are traded. The Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) heist is one of the most notorious robberies in history. It took place in Antwerp, Belgium, during the weekend of 15–16 February 2003. This unidentified man, Notarbartolo claims, paid him to take pictures of the vault’s complex security system and created a replica of the vault. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century," was one of the largest robberies in history. The Antwerp Diamond Heist is known as one of the largest diamond heists in history, with about $100 million worth of valuables stolen right out from under one of the most guarded diamond locations in … Antwerp Diamond Heist. Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History details the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, the largest objective heist in history. The gems were about to be flown to Antwerp, Europe's diamond capital, when the robbers struck. The incredible story of how a gang breached what was thought to be one of the most secure vaults in the world, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, to steal around ninety-one million pounds worth of diamonds, gold and jewellery. More than 30 suspects in a spectacular $50 million diamond heist have been rounded up in three countries and at least some of the precious stones … News. Antwerp's judicial director, Eric Sack said thieves copied the masterkeys. The vault was opened by its key and code, so no drilling or cutting or any other Medieval tool. De Wolf says the Antwerp diamond community is shocked by the “brutal heist” which included both rough and polished stones. In this Monday, Feb. 24, 2003 file photo, people pass a jewelry store in the diamond quarter in Antwerp, Belgium. The diamond heist in question took place in Antwerp, Belgium, and it saw a crew of Italian thieves somehow get passed 10 layers of security to the vault underneath the Antwerp Diamond Center, where they stole a reported $100 million worth of goods including diamonds, gold and all … Dark of the Sun (1968) A mercenary squad is sent to a … March 2-4, 2007. Diamond heist, Antwerp - $100million. Antwerp's judicial director, Eric Sack said thieves copied the masterkeys. The Antwerp Diamond Center was supposed to be impenetrable. In 2003, in the city of Antwerp, the Antwerp Diamond Center was robbed, in what is still to this day, the largest heist in recorded history, with over 100 million worth of diamonds being taken during this fateful day. That man was Pietro Tavano, known as Speedy and one of Notarbartolo’s lifelong friends. Here is the story of the “heist of the century,” the Antwerp Diamond Heist. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Recently, two Chinese nationals ran out of luck after they were caught for replacing diamond jewellery worth Rs 34 lakh with fake ones at an expo in Mumbai.The ingenuity of the crime draws comparisons with another bold robbery in 2003 — the Antwerp diamond heist, also known as the ‘heist of the century’ — where nearly $100 million worth of diamonds were stolen. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was by far the largest diamond heist and one of the largest robberies in history. Thieves: ... their precise value is hard to gauge—the theft would be the biggest diamond heist in history. Diamond Heist is a heist that takes place in a privately owned skyscraper containing a jewel vault. So, the guy sat out his prison time and he is a free man as I'm writing this. On Monday morning, the 17th of Februari 2003, the Antwerp police, responsable for supervising the diamond neighbourhood and its business, got a call that a heist had taken place at the Antwerp Diamond Centre. The city was the scene of a spectacular robbery in 2003 when thieves made off … The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world. It was stated by Overkill that this heist would be the most difficult in the game. Labeled at the time as the "Heist … Keep reading for a look at six good to great diamond heist movies you’ve probably never seen (but should). The Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) heist is one of the most notorious robberies in history. Even though most of the gang, known as the School of Turin, has since been arrested, the diamonds have never been retrieved. Did they get away with it? It turns out that the idea of operating solo was a good thought. Stolen artwork's value is difficult to quantify.) The code, they must have seen this when the usual gatekeeper opens the vault for the clients. Things speed up as the job is successfully pulled off through a combination of skill, luck and poor security. February 2003: Antwerp Diamond Center Last week, as Monday’s robbers prepared to storm the jewel-laden plane, exactly 10 years had passed since Belgium fell victim to another giant diamond theft. This was, of course, to study the building, the vault, who was who and who did what. The Antwerp Diamond District is one of the most heavily secured places in the world, with billions of dollars of diamonds changing hands there every year. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was one of the largest robberies in history. The Antwerp Diamond Heist was a perfect crime…almost. During that week following the heist, a farmer found these bags and called the police. Directed by Steve Baker. In the Antwerp Diamond Centre, diamonds change hands from Monday till Friday. The Antwerp diamond heist played just like a scene out of Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job. The Antwerp Diamond Heist video. Credit: Yves Logghe/AP. During their escape that night, and nobody was following them as everybody was unaware of the robbery, one of the robbers panicked and they had to park the car somewhere in a forest in Belgium. (Objective meaning the value of stolen goods is accurate. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was up to that point one of the largest diamond heists in history.The thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, and other jewellery valued at more than $100 million. No. It happened in the Belgian city's diamond district — hub of the world's diamond trade — at the Diamond Center, the district's largest building. Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2rio's travel planner. The Antwerp Diamond heist. The day after Valentine's Day … Contents. Meet The Man Who Claimed To Have Disguised Jack The Ripper, U.S. With an enormous amount of diamonds, hidden away, I'm sure he and his comrades are living like kings, somewhere on this planet... About Me | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Me. The Antwerp Diamond District is one of the most heavily secured places in the world, with billions of dollars of diamonds changing hands there every year. Soon, Speedy was throwing the evidence into the woods. The heist series with a comedic twist is inspired by the 2003 ‘Antwerp Diamond Heist’. On 18 February 2013, eight masked gunmen in two cars with police markings stole approximately US$50,000,000 (€38,000,000, £33,000,000) worth of diamonds from a Swiss-bound Fokker 100 operated by Helvetic Airways on the apron at Brussels Airport, Belgium, just before 20:00 CET. In this notorious robbery, nearly $100 million worth of diamonds were stolen. Then, with the help of a group of dealers, and Notarbartolo’s School of Turin, the thieves devised a way to get into the secure vault. Nice and quiet the usual way. This book describes a heist that probably brought the thieves more than $100 million dollars in cash, diamonds and other valuables. Of all the modern heists on this list, the Antwerp diamond heist of 2003 may be the one that most closely resembles the plot of a Hollywood thriller. The vault beneath the Antwerp Diamond Centre was left open, diamonds and other items of worth scattered along the floor, as it was discovered when the Centre opened for business on Monday morning. As the concierge was supposed to keep an eye out during that weekend, he was interrogated by the police. Support "Antwerp Diamond Centre heist". This diamond heist has rightfully earned the moniker of the 'heist of the century'. The Antwerp Diamond Center is the world's largest hub for diamonds, doing billions in business each year. Copyright © 2015-2020 - www.VisitAntwerpCity.com - All rights reserved. The $100 Million Diamond Heist That Was Foiled By A Receipt Wikimedia Commons Antwerp, Belgium’s diamond district sells roughly 80 percent of the world’s rough diamonds every year. The Antwerp Diamond Heist will go into history as one of the biggest diamond heists ever pulled off. “What we are talking about is obviously a … Remember the 2003 Antwerp diamond theft? Still, there were sensors that detect movement, heat, vibration and cameras! Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and other type of jewelry valued at more than $100 million. The heist was estimated at some $50-million in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. Well, a recent Wired magazine article talked to one of its perpetrators, ... (Though the last diamond heist picture, Flawless, came and went without a trace.) Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History details the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, the largest objective heist in history. It took place in Antwerp, Belgium, during the weekend of 15–16 February 2003. Now, to unlock the vault, a numeric code and a key were necessary. The value of the stolen diamonds was estimated around 100 million euros! It’s no surprise that its security system was constructed accordingly. The three other Italians were, until today never found, as well as the diamonds. At first, the authorities were with their hands in their hair. He sometimes traveled there to pawn off diamonds stolen back home in Italy, having been a thief since the age of eight (his first victim was the milkman). Set in the middle of Antwerp, Belgium’s diamond district, the center held hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds, jewels, gold, and other treasures. Haul: $100 million. Your curiosity knows no bounds. Where: Antwerp World Diamond Centre, Belgium. What made this heist so improbable, and so fascinating, was the layers of security measures the thieves had to overcome. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, and jewellery valued at more than $100 million. The Antwerp Diamond Heist, 2003. The Diamond Center at the heart of Antwerp's historic gem district has surveillance cameras everywhere and requires special passes to get in. It was enough evidence to link the crime to Notarbartolo. It took place in Antwerp, Belgium, during the weekend of 15–16 February 2003. These bags and their content pointed the police straight to 4 Italians that were known in Italy as Masters in their field. Antwerp diamond heist, 2013, $120 million. Neither do we. But, thanks to one gang member, things eventually fell apart. The robbery in 2003 was the biggest diamond heist the world has ever seen. However, Tavano didn’t have his friend’s level head. It occurred in the diamond district of Belgium on the weekend of February 15-16, 2003. So, that's the key. In February, 2003 Notarbartolo along with three associates penetrated Antwerp Diamond Centre depot and stole 100 to 400 million euros worth of diamond and other jewelry, cash and securities. Meanwhile, more information about how the robbers got access to the vault, without alarming the alarm system. It took two hours to get it all out of the building. The Italian masterbrain got eventually 10 years of prison, as they could prove that he was the leader of the gang. The man behind the Antwerp diamond heist, Leonardo Notarbatolo, was familiar with the area. The thieves got through the 10 layers of security, previously thought to be impenetrable. We are talking about infrared heat detectors, Doppler radar, a seismic sensor, a magnetic … Directed by Steve Baker. As you might know, Antwerp is one of the biggest marketplaces of diamonds in the world. In 2003, thieves cleared vaults at the Antwerp Diamond Centre during a weekend, with diamonds, gold … Extreme detailled information to prepare the Antwerp Diamond Heist was gathered during this time and no one ever suspected him! Leonardo Notarbartolo known as organiser of the “diamond robbery of the century” was released from prison. Apparantly, the key was stored in a tin box on the wall, in the room next door to the vault. February 2003 - … He called the police because of the debris, which contained videotape film strung about, a half-eaten sandwich, dozens of small diamonds, and a receipt for a video surveillance system. In the weekend, there's only a concierge. Well, like I said, these guys were pros in their field and must have tested this back home. There are 5 ways to get from Belgium to Antwerp diamond heist by train, bus, taxi, car or rideshare. The day after Valentine's Day in … Nevertheless, Notarbartolo sticks to his story that he wasn’t the ringleader of the Antwerp diamond heist, and has never led authorities to the whereabouts of the diamonds. How did they manage to fool those? Organiser Of The World’s Biggest Diamond Heist Released. And it was there in 2003 that one gang of thieves pulled off one of the largest diamond heists in history. The heist was accomplished without a shot being fired. The police and the justice department were baffeled. The diamond heist in question took place in Antwerp, Belgium, and it saw a crew of Italian thieves somehow get passed 10 layers of security to the vault underneath the Antwerp Diamond Center, where they stole a reported $100 million worth of goods including diamonds, gold and all sorts of other jewelry. Anna Frodesiak 00:30, 22 February 2013 (UTC) See also item: List of missing treasure. With hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. He had no clue! The Antwerp Diamond heist also known as the heist of the century , so in 2003 LEONARDO NOTARBATOLO and 4 other men decided to rob The Antwerp Diamond world center which contained one of the best security systems of the planet , a system that you could only see in movies). In 2003, Antwerp was the scene of one of the biggest diamond heists in history, when thieves took precious stones, jewels and gold from the high-security vaults at its diamond centre. In this notorious robbery, nearly $100 million worth of diamonds were stolen. The 50-minute first episode of Heist with Michael Caine is dedicated to the audacious Antwerp diamond heist of 2003. During the weekend of February 15th, 2003, a team of professional thieves carried off what was one of the largest diamond heist of all time. Flawless by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Cambell takes a look at the heist at the Diamond Center in Antwerp. This is how you get around a sophisticated alarm system!! What was clear from the start, is that these guys were pros and that they knew their way to the vault as their back garden. The police and the justice department managed to track him down and after long and tedious interrogations, they arrested him for being the brain of the Antwerp Diamond Heist. The vault, which was at level - 2 was empty! With the vault 2 stories underground and protected by 10 layers of security, any reasonably-minded person would consider this robbery daunting and impossible. I restored it because it was drawing such good page hits. They had very little clue of what had happened. The show … The Belgian courts sentenced him to 10 years in prison. He didn't see or hear anything. The … Antwerp diamond heist . One of these robbers was a very sleek, elegant and charming man, who had an office in the Antwerp Diamond Centre. Credit: Yves Logghe/AP. The Antwerp Diamond Heist will go into history as one of the biggest diamond heists ever pulled off. As you might know, Antwerp is one of the biggest marketplaces of diamonds in the world. The company has greenlit Everybody Loves Diamonds from Fremantle-owned prodco Wildside in Rome, with CEO Mario Gianani (My Brilliant Friend) and head of international productions Lorenzo Gangarossa (The Young Pope) producing. But they didn’t realize they were on private property, which belonged to August Van Camp, a Belgian hermit. 13 march 2009. The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world. Noy, you must now that the diamond heist was noticed on Monday morning, but actually had taken place in the weekend before. In Belgium, whether you steal a 100 million euros of diamonds or some candy in the shop, you can get only charged for a maximum of 5 years in prison! And it was there in 2003 that one gang of thieves pulled off one of the largest diamond heists in history. It didn't even notice that the vault was being robbed. Now, how ingenious and planned these robbers were to perform the Antwerp diamond heist, so unprofessional were they, once they ran off. The Antwerp Diamond Heist is known as one of the largest diamond heists in history, with about $100 million worth of valuables stolen right out from under one of the most guarded diamond locations in the world. Thieves: A gang from Turin, Italy . It's even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the Diamond Heist of the Century! The Smartest Diamond Robbery. The AWDC used elaborate security mechanisms to protect diamonds, including a private security force, a lock with 100 million possible combinations, infrared heat detectors, a seismic sensor, Doppler radar and a magnetic field. Antwerp's diamond district, also known as the Diamond Quarter (Diamantkwartier), and dubbed the Square Mile, is an area within the city of Antwerp, Belgium.It consists of several square blocks covering an area of about one square mile. 100 million euro worth of diamonds dissappeared in thin air! Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, and jewellery valued at more than $100 million. Friday late afternoon, everything goes nicely in the vault and the vault stays locked until the new work week. World's biggest jewellery heists.