On Wednesday morning, the Brussels Court of Appeal acquitted the four men who were still being prosecuted for the spectacular robbery of a plane on the tarmac of Brussels Airport on February 18, 2013. This judgment closes the file of the “heist of the century”, which will therefore remain unpunished. The stolen diamonds were never recovered.
The Court of Appeal confirmed the judgment rendered by a lower court on May 17, 2018, which acquitted all 18 defendants in the case. The court considered that “the elements of the investigation are not precise enough” to establish guilt.
On February 18, 2013, eight masked and armed individuals appeared on the tarmac at Brussels-National airport. They approached a SWISS plane and seized 121 packages containing diamonds, gold bars and precious stones worth 37 million euros. This theft is considered the most spectacular and audacious robbery committed in Belgium.
