10 Charged in Swedish Art Heist
Ten men were charged Wednesday in the theft of three Renoir and Rembrandt paintings worth $36 million from Sweden’s National Museum.
The trial is to begin Monday, but only one suspect is accused of direct involvement in the robbery and just one painting has been recovered, leaving much of the mystery unsolved.
Three hooded men walked into the waterfront museum building in Stockholm shortly before closing time Dec. 22. One pointed a gun at unarmed guards, while two others snatched the art off the walls. The suspects fled on foot to a waiting boat moored across the street, police said.
One suspect, a 32-year-old man, was charged with theft and faces four years in prison if convicted. The nine others were charged with aggravated robbery and attempted extortion. Police believe that the nine helped organize the heist or tried to profit from it. Two suspects remain at large.
“We consider all of them as perpetrators of the crime,” district public prosecutor Ylva Johansson said.
All 10 suspects have pleaded innocent.
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