German police have arrested one of two fugitive twins wanted in connection with the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a Dresden museum last year
A spokesman for Dresden police, Marko Laske, confirmed Tuesday that a 21-year-old man had been arrested in Berlin late Monday. He said further details would be released later Tuesday.
In a massive operation last month, German police arrested three people in connection with the Nov. 25, 2019, theft of a large diamond brooch, a diamond epaulette and other treasures from the Dresden's Green Vault Museum
The suspects, aged 23 to 26, were charged with organized robbery and arson. Police at the time issued photos of two others, wanted on the same charges, identifying them as Abdul Majed Remmo, 21, and Mohamed Remmo, 21.
It wasn't immediately clear which one of the Remmo twins was arrested Monday and which one remains at large.
Searches at more than a dozen location have so far not yielded the missing treasures.
Members of the Remmo family were convicted earlier this year for a similarly spectacular heist, the theft of a 100-kilogram (220 pound) Canadian gold coin dubbed the “Big Maple Leaf" from Berlin's Bode Museum in 2017.
The coin, with an estimated value of 3.75 million euros ($4.45 million) has not yet been recovered and authorities have posited that it was likely cut up into smaller pieces and sold off.
The Green Vault is one of the world’s oldest museums. It was established in 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.
Shortly after the theft, authorities offered a 500,000-euro ($593,000) reward for information leading to the recovery of the jewels or the arrest of the thieves.
