2 men steal royal gems and, to crown it all, flee

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Thieves carrying out a daring robbery in broad daylight walked into a medieval cathedral in Sweden, smashed open a glass security case and stole priceless gold and jewel-encrusted crowns dating to the early 1600s before hopping onto bicycles and racing to a nearby lake, where they disappeared.

The two men vanished aboard a speedboat or jet skis after the noon heist Tuesday into the vast patchwork of lakes around Strangnas, 37 miles west of the capital of Stockholm, police said.

The stolen artifacts included a gold crown and an orb dating to 1611 that were made for King Karl IX’s funeral, as well as a jewel-encrusted crown dating to 1625 that was used in Queen Kristina’s funeral. The stolen items were on display at an exhibition in the cathedral, and visitors were inside at the time.

“The alarm went off when the burglars smashed the security glass and stole the artifacts,” Catharina Frojd, a spokeswoman for the 14th-century Strangnas cathedral, told The Associated Press.

The cathedral said on its website that the stolen pieces were kept “in accordance with the prevailing safety regulations in locked and alarmed displays in the cathedral.” It gave no further details.

Police sent a helicopter and boat to hunt for the thieves but found nothing. Authorities said no one was hurt in the robbery but didn’t provide details.

Tom Rowell, a visitor who was eating lunch outside, said he saw two men running from the cathedral toward a small nearby jetty where a motorboat was moored.

However, police spokesman Stefan Dangardt said “witnesses’ testimonies varied quite a bit” and it was also possible the thieves escaped on jet skis.