17°c Clear
25°c Chance of thundershowers
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Dutch police say Romanian authorities arrest 3 suspects in multimillion-dollar art heist
File - This photo released by the police in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, shows the painting 'Waterloo Bridge, London' by Claude Monet. Romanian authorities have arrested three suspects in last year's multimillion euro (dollar) theft of paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and others from a Netherlands art gallery, Dutch police said Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, but the stolen works have not been recovered. The seven pieces were swiped by thieves in October in a late night raid at the Kunsthal gallery in downtown Rotterdam. It was the biggest art theft in more than a decade in the Netherlands. The stolen works have an estimated value of tens of millions of dollars if they were sold at auction, but art experts said that would be impossible following the theft. (AP Photo / Police Rotterdam, File)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Romanian authorities have arrested three suspects in last year's multimillion-dollar art heist from a Netherlands art gallery, Dutch police said Tuesday. But the paintings, by artists including Picasso, Matisse and Monet, have not been recovered.
The announcement marked the first breakthrough for police since thieves broke open an emergency exit and swiped the seven pieces on Oct. 16 in a late night raid at the Kunsthal gallery in Rotterdam.
It was the biggest art theft in more than a decade in the Netherlands. The stolen works have an estimated value of tens of millions of dollars if they were sold at auction, but art experts said that would be impossible following the theft.
"Three people have been arrested, but unfortunately we have not got back the paintings," Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Yvette van den Heerik told The Associated Press.
Police later said in a statement that the suspects were arrested as part of an ongoing Romanian investigation and not at the request of Dutch authorities.
Kunsthal spokeswoman Mariette Maaskant said gallery staff members are not yet breathing a sigh of relief. "There is no painting found yet," she said. "For us, that is the most important thing."
Romanian police spokeswoman Raluca Seucan declined to provide details of the case to the AP. Romanian news agency Mediafax reported that three Romanian suspects had been arrested Monday evening following a ruling from a Bucharest court. It gave no further details.
The heist at one of Rotterdam's landmark buildings, designed by local architect Rem Koolhaas, was low-tech but effective.
Two thieves forced their way into the gallery through a rear emergency door and snatched the paintings. Security cameras showed the thieves breaking in and fleeing within two minutes. They were gone by the time police, alerted by an alarm, arrived less than five minutes after the break-in.
The following morning, only white spaces on the wall and broken hanging wires were left.
The stolen paintings came from the private Triton Foundation, a collection of avant-garde art put together by multimillionaire Willem Cordia, an investor and businessman, and his wife, Marijke Cordia-Van der Laan. Willem Cordia died in 2011.
The stolen paintings were: Pablo Picasso's 1971 "Harlequin Head"; Claude Monet's 1901 "Waterloo Bridge, London" and "Charing Cross Bridge, London"; Henri Matisse's 1919 "Reading Girl in White and Yellow"; Paul Gauguin's 1898 "Girl in Front of Open Window"; Meyer de Haan's "Self-Portrait," around 1890, and Lucian Freud's 2002 work "Woman with Eyes Closed."
____
Associated Press writer Alison Mutler contributed from Bucharest, Romania.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Blackhawks beat Bruins 6-5 in OT to cap crazy roller-coaster Stanley Cup game
06/19/2013 11:54 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini dies at 51 while vacationing in Rome
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Kids of St. Ignatius make Sweet gesture to beloved crossing guard
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini dies at 51 while vacationing in Rome
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Accounts and accountability: UK committee says bankers must take more responsibility
- Etienne grabs a clue
- Tory attacks on Trudeau boomerang, raise questions about PMO involvement
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- $110-K worth of nickel plates stolen from Thompson mine
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.