18 ACQUITTED IN HUGE DIAMOND HEIST

Five years after a brazen multimillion-dollar diamond heist on the tarmac of Brussels Airport, a Belgian court on Thursday cited a lack of evidence as it acquitted 18 suspects in the case. The massive 2013 theft, in which tens of millions worth of gems were stolen from the hold of a departing Swiss-bound plane, had all the hallmarks of an “Ocean’s Eleven” operation. And it still might still get a Hollywood ending. One other person, suspected of being the mastermind, will hear his case in court later.

“It is a great result,” said defence lawyer Nathalie Gallant. “The tribunal is indirectly saying that we were right and that the case is not sufficient to condemn anyone.” The diamond heist was estimated at $50 million at the time and was one of the biggest of recent times.