Looted gallery had no guards
Image by: ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN / Reuters
The Rotterdam museum that fell victim to the world's biggest art robbery in years has admitted to Dutch police that there were no guards on duty when thieves stole seven paintings worth up to £80-million.
The thieves were able to operate without fear of interruption for up to 35 minutes because they knew there were no guards in the Kunsthal.
"There was no one in the building and an external security firm went to the Kunsthal when the alarm went off," a police spokesman said.
"They discovered the break-in and warned us."
The stolen paintings, including works by Picasso, Monet and Matisse, were from the Triton Foundation art collection. They had never before been exhibited and were on display as part of the museum's 20th anniversary celebrations.
Museum director Emily Ansenk tried to justify the decision.
"We use cameras and an alarm system but no people. We have state-of-the-art security ."
Police, who have put 25 detectives on the case, said it was not known how the thieves entered the building.
SHARE YOUR OPINION
If you have an opinion you would like to share on this article, please send us an e-mail to the Times LIVE iLIVE team. In the mean time, click here to view the Times LIVE iLIVE section.