Thieves steal crown jewels from Sweden

CRIMINALS FLEE BY SPEEDBOAT

THIEVES in Sweden walked into a small town’s medieval cathedral in broad daylight and made off with priceless crown jewels dating back to the early 1600s before escaping by speedboat, police have said.

Two men vanished after the heist into a vast patchwork of lakes around Strangnas, 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of the capital Stockholm, at around noon on Tuesday, police said.

The thieves snatched two gold crowns and an orb made for King Karl IX and Queen Kristina in the daring robbery.

One of the crowns is encrusted with precious stones.

The stolen items were on display at an exhibition in Strangnas Cathedral and visitors were inside at the time. “The alarm went off when the burglars smashed the security glass and stole the artefacts,” said Catharina Frojd, a spokeswoman for the 14th century cathedral.

The church wrote on its website that the stolen items were kept “in accordance with the prevailing safety regulations in locked and alarmed displays in the cathedral”.

Police sent out a helicopter and boat to hunt for the thieves but found nothing.

Tom Rowell, a visitor who was eating lunch outside, said he saw two men running from the cathedral towards a small nearby jetty where a motorboat was moored. “It’s despicable that people would steal from a holy building,” he said.