Armed robbers broke into TEFAF, the art and antiques fair in Maastricht (Netherlands), one of the largest in the world, on Tuesday in broad daylight, where a video shows the suspects smashing through a shop window. .

A spectacular video circulated on social media shows four men in smart clothes, caps and glasses smashing through a window display at TEFAF (“The European Fine Art Fair”) in Maastricht, in the south-west of the country. Two of the men brandished what looked like pistols as a man tried to step in, armed with a large glass vase full of flowers.

The police announced that they had arrested two people and searched for others, without providing an amount of damage for the moment.

“The police are investigating a possible armed robbery at TEFAF in Maastricht. Four suspects are believed to be involved. They are wanted by many units,” police in the Dutch province of Limburg wrote on Twitter.

The roads near the fair were cut, as well as a major road tunnel, during the hunt for the thieves.

According to Dutch media, the shop window targeted by the burglars contained products from a London jeweler.

TEFAF is one of the largest art and antiques fairs on the planet and usually attracts tens of thousands of visitors. It has existed for more than 30 years and was making a comeback this year, after a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Footage circulating on social media showed the window smashed at the fair.

One visitor, Jos Stassen, said he came to the event on Tuesday hoping to view artwork in peace.

«Peaky Blinders»

"Normally it's very calm (...) and serene, but suddenly I heard a lot of noise, I turned and suddenly I saw these men," he told the channel. public NOS. “One started banging (on the window) and the others were keeping people away, scaring everyone. I also saw a weapon. It went very quickly and it lasted a very short time, but I'm still shaking a little.

The phrase "Peaky Blinders" went viral on Dutch social media, because the caps worn by the thieves resembled those of the eponymous British crime gang, made famous by a series of the same name.

This is not the first time that TEFAF has been targeted by criminals.

In 2011, a diamond and a diamond-encrusted necklace worth 860,000 euros were stolen, again from a jeweler from London.