Police suspect Inside Help on Amsterdam Heist

As the investigation by Dutch police is progressing, more details on one of the biggest diamond heists ever are being revealed. Investigators have called for help from other police branches in the country.

According to reports in the Dutch press, the military police, which is in charge of security at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, are focusing their efforts on finding who helped the thieves who stole the armored vehicle loaded with an estimated 75 million euros ($100 million) worth of diamonds and jewelry.

Not only did the thieves know which truck to hit, they also knew when and on which plane the goods would be loaded and probably had a pretty good knowledge about the security measures around the armored truck.

Another reason for investigators to focus on inside help is because of the way access to the secure area is maintained. According to a spokesman, employees who wish to enter the freight area must have a special entry card, and car number plates are registered and checked by guards. Everyone is inspected again when leaving the secure area.

Last Friday morning two armed men, apparently dressed in KLM uniforms, jumped out of a car and intercepted the armored truck in the secure area of the airport. The two guards who accompanied the goods were forced at gunpoint to get out of the truck and lie on the ground.

The thieves then calmly drove the armored car out of the terminal and exited the airport without being stopped, as did the car in which they arrived, in it another accomplice or two.

The truck was later found abandoned in the industrial zone of Hoofddorp, a small town next to Schiphol, and  Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reported that witnesses claimed the robbers drove away from the area in a different car.

Yesterday (Monday) the investigation team, which initially included 25 investigators, added new team members to help in the search for the thieves.

While military police have overall responsibility for security at Schiphol Airport, a private company provides security for freight operations.