Netherlands: Police arrest two after armed robbery at TEFAF art fair in Maastricht city

A shocking incident of an armed robbery has been reported at The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in the Netherlands' Maastricht city on Tuesday, June 28. According to reports, the local police have detained two culprits, whereas, the hunt for the other two is underway. The incident took place at the famed international art fair which is held in a convention centre and attracts buyers and collectors from all around the world with its displays of lavish jewellery and artwork. 

The five-day fair began on June 25 and was supposed to culminate on June 30. After the robbery, the area was evacuated by the local police, who are yet to confirm what all things were stolen. However, they claimed that they did not receive any report of injury after the incident.

"Two people were taken into custody in connection to the case. The Koning Willem Alexander tunnel and a few other roads have been closed to the traffic," the police said, the NL Times reported. 

Robbers were armed with gun and axe: Eyewitnesses

According to a police spokesperson, eyewitnesses saw four armed people enter the art fair and attempted to break open exhibit cases containing diamonds. They stated that the robbers, who were armed with at least one gun and an axe, failed to open the cases. Notably, a similar incident happened in March 2008, when a diamond necklace worth approximately 1.2 million euros was stolen on the first day of the fair. Later, the police arrested the four suspects and were sentenced to 15-month prison terms.

About TEFAF art fair

The European Fine Art Foundation in Maastricht organizes the yearly art, antiques, and design fair known as The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF). It was held for the first time in 1988 and is considered one of the world's leading art fairs. The long-running event was postponed this year by three months to a new summer date after being previously cancelled in 2021. The event is usually organised for ten days but this year it was a five-day affair. 

Image: Twitter/@ericvanthoff/AP