The trial of the men, whose ages range from 22 to 28, accused of stealing from the Green Vault Museum in the eastern German city of Dresden will begin on January 28. The museum was the site of a massive break-in that occurred on November 25, 2019.
According to authorities, they are accused of stealing more than 4,300 diamonds across 21 pieces of jewelry. The theft was worth around 113.8 million euros, or $129 million. A fire was allegedly set before the robbery in order to cut the power for nearby street lights. They are also suspected of setting a car on fire in a nearby garage.
“Not only were the state art collections burgled, but the people of Saxony too,” Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer said in 2019. “The valuables housed in the Green Vault and Residenzschloss were hard-won by the people in the Saxony Free State with difficulty, over many centuries. One can not understand the history of our country, of our Free State, without the Green Vault and the State Art Collections of Saxony.”
The men have been charged with organized robbery and arson, with the final suspect arrested in May.
The alleged theft is considered to be the largest heist in history, and the stolen jewelry has yet to be recovered. Newsweek previously reported that the museum’s collection consists of “10 highly decorated rooms, containing about 3,000 pieces of jewelry in addition to ornate items such as a 25-inch figure of a Moor studded with emeralds and a 648-carat sapphire—a gift from Russia’s Peter the Great. Its most valuable item—a unique 41-carat naturally green diamond—is currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.”
The identities of four of the accused men have not been publicly released. However, brothers Abdul Majed and Mohamed Remmo have been identified in connection with the incident due to their history of crime.
Newsweek has reached out to the Green Vault Museum for comment.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.