Armed thieves used a sledgehammer to smash open display cases in a brazen jewellery robbery in broad daylight.
Guests at an international art fair in the Dutch city of Maastricht were left terrified after the gun -wielding robbers smashed their way through the glass cases and made off with the jewellery.
Dramatic footage shows the moment a man wearing a blazer and cap uses the sledgehammer to smash open the display cases. The robbery took place this morning, around 11:30am local time at the TEFAF fair.
Three other men, dressed similarly, stood guard as he repeatedly swung at a case which contained items from a London jeweller, according to Dutch media.
At one point in the video, a member of the public seizes a vase full of flowers, and moves towards the robbers holding it.
But when the robbers move towards him brandishing what appears to be a gun, he quickly retreats.
After smashing their way into one of the cabinets, the four men flee down the corridor, past a man who watched the scene unfold calmly.
The prestigious international fair often attracts collectors from all over the world and members of the public were quickly evacuated following the robbery.
One eyewitness reportedly said she had seen one person holding a gun and the man holding the sledgehammer.
Dutch outlet De Limburger reported that eyewitness Julie Bartolomeus said: “I thought very quickly to leave. My mother was a little further away, so I picked her up and we ran to the first exit.”
This afternoon, police confirmed they arrested two of the robbers, but the other two remained on the run.
Officers stopped a grey car with a foreign registration number on the A2 motorway before they made the arrests.
A spokesperson for Limburg police told the Telegraaf: “We have indeed had some roads closed as a result of the investigation after the robbery at TEFAF and have arrested two suspects on the A2.
“The investigation is still in progress. In addition, we are still looking for two other suspects. That is now our top priority.”
