Prosecutors: 4 Guards Were In On $1.1B Jewel Heist

Seven people in total are believed to have been involved in November's brazen jewelry heist from Dresden's Green Vault, and four of them may have been security guards in on the scheme. The Guardian reports that two of the suspects were working at the museum on Nov. 25, the morning of the break-in, and investigators say they didn't "react adequately" as the situation unfolded. Prosecutors say a third guard, who was arrested a few days afterward, may have provided details to the thieves on the museum's layout and security system, while a fourth guard is believed to have fiddled with the building's alarm system. And it doesn't look like any of them are willing to talk about the theft of the still-missing 18th-century jewels, which some experts have estimated are worth about $1.1 billion.

"The suspects have behaved cooperatively and initially said they wanted to speak to investigators, but subsequently they reserved their right to silence," the case's lead prosecutor told the Bild newspaper. The theft took place after a fire at a nearby power distributor knocked out the museum's electricity, rendering the alarm system useless. Surveillance footage showed two men breaking into the museum through a small window and smashing display cases to get their loot; they then fled in a getaway car. Per Artnet, cops also have more details now about that vehicle, which was found charred in a parking lot near the museum. A police sketch has been released of a suspect who's believed to be about 25 years old and the buyer of the 2006 Audi from a private local seller the summer before the heist. He's believed to also have been involved in the heist itself. (More jewel heist stories.)