(19 Feb 2013)
Antwerp
1. Close of a diamond on display at the World Diamond Centre in Antwerp
2. Medium of diamond on display
3. Close of a diamond on display in a package
4. Medium of a microscope with a diamond on display
5. Brinks armoured truck parked in the Antwerp diamond district
6. Exterior of the Antwerp Diamond Bank
7. People walking downy he street in the Antwerp diamond district
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Caroline De Wolf, World Diamond Centre spokeswoman:
"It is a quite big number actually for a diamond heist but I think that we are mainly concerned of the way that it was able to be possible that this happened. I mean, the fact that you normally think that an airport and certainly an international airport is a very secure environment, which is exactly what you need when you are trading diamonds and you transport diamonds. It is a complete shock for us that this was even possible."
9. Medium of two diamonds on display inside the World Diamond Centre
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Caroline De Wolf, Spokesperson for World Diamond Centre:
"I think that there is a big possibility that they are gone. Obviously diamonds are a very wanted product in the world. You can find a number of interested very buyers and we are scared that we will never see them again."
Zaventem, Brussels' international airport
11. Wide of a Brinks armoured security truck parked in front of Brussels Airport departures terminal
12. Close of the Brinks logo
13. Medium of a Helvetic airplane parked at a gate
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jan Van der Cruysse, Brussels Airport spokesman:
"We have had similar incidents in the 1990s a long time ago, long before 9-11. Since then, aviation security has further increased."
15. Exterior of Brussels Airport
STORYLINE:
Eight masked gunmen forced their way through the security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove onto the tarmac and snatched some 50 (m) million US dollars worth of diamonds from the hold of a Swiss-bound plane without firing a shot.
The gang responsible for one of the biggest diamond heists in recent years used two black vehicles with a flashing blue police lights in their daring raid late on Monday, said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office.
Police said they found a burnt-out minivan believed to be involved in the robbery near the airport later Monday night.
The heist was estimated at some 50 (m) million US dollars in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf from Antwerp's World Diamond Centre.
"We are mainly concerned of the way that it was able to be possible that this happened. I mean, the fact that you normally think that an airport and certainly an international airport is a very secure environment, which is exactly what you need when you are trading diamonds and you transport diamonds," she added.
The robbers forced their way through a perimeter fence, at a place where two work sites obstructed a clear view, Bijnens said.
There were no details about how the hole was opened but airport authorities said it must have taken more than simply blasting through it with a vehicle.
The robbers drove up to the Swiss passenger plane some 20 minutes before departure time, brandishing their machine guns. Then they methodically broke into the hold, which was accessed from outside, to choose their loot.
The robbers finished their clinical operation with a high-speed departure through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within barely five minutes, Bijnens said.
The Swiss flight, bound for Zurich and operated by Helvetic Airways, was cancelled.
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