InfoAnda - Never too late: Cops crack 25-year-old clock theft

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Court hearing delayed for former Haitian President Aristide | | 4 January 2013
Seoul shares down; LG Display sinks after results | 16 October 2009
Gunmen kill six in northeast Nigeria church attack | | 26 December 2012

Asians uneasy over Obama trade stance | 5 November 2008

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Never too late: Cops crack 25-year-old clock theft

Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: Never too late: Cops crack 25-year-old clock theft By ARON HELLER,Associated Press Writer AP - Tuesday, November 4 JERUSALEM - It took time, but Israeli police detectives have cracked one of the country's greatest crimes _ the legendary heist of a priceless clock collection from a Jerusalem museum a quarter century ago. The 1983 theft, the costliest in Israel's history, saw 106 timepieces worth millions of dollars disappear from the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art. Among them was a pocket watch made for French queen Marie Antoinette that museum officials value at more than $30 million. Although the stolen clocks had no connection to Islamic culture, they were displayed in the museum because they had originally belonged to the father of the museum's founder. The heist baffled police for more than two decades. But detectives now blame Naaman Diller _ a notorious Israeli thief who fled to Europe and died in the United States in 2004. Investigators got their first break two years ago, when the museum informed them it paid some $40,000 to an anonymous American woman to buy back 40 of the items, including the Marie Antoinette timepiece made by famed watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet. Rachel Hasson, the museum's artistic director, calls the gold and rock crystal watch "the Mona Lisa of the clock world." Also recovered were a Breguet creation from 1819 known as the "Sympathiques" and a clock shaped like a pistol from the same period. Police forensics experts were allowed to examine the clocks, and detectives questioned the lawyer who negotiated the sale. The trail led to an Israeli woman in Los Angeles named Nili Shamrat, who police identified as the widow of Diller _ a notorious criminal in Israel after a string of bold thefts in the 1960s and '70s. From there the mystery began to unravel, police say. Diller apparently confessed the crime to his wife on his deathbed. When Israeli police and American law enforcement officials arrived at her home last May to question her, they found more of the stolen clocks. Police placed a gag order on the case, but lifted it last week after Israeli media violated the order. Diller's widow refused to answer questions from The Associated Press when contacted Saturday, and did not answer her phone Sunday and Monday. Her Israeli lawyer, Hila Efron-Gabai, also refused to discuss the case. Oded Yaniv, one of the investigators who broke the case, said about 40 clocks are missing, but police are pursuing tips on where Diller scattered the goods around the world. Yaniv called the investigation a "once in a lifetime" experience, filled with international intrigue in the murky world of art dealing and antiquity trading. Diller was renowned in Israel for daring break-ins and an ability to keep one step ahead of the law. He meticulously researched sites for hours and used innovative techniques that earned him the admiration of the same people who were trying to stop him. "He was a legendary robber. He was very different, very intelligent, and had a unique style," Yaniv said. "We are all disappointed that we don't have the chance to sit and talk to him and investigate him. We feel like we missed out on that." According to police, Diller used a crowbar to bend the bars on a back window of the museum the night of April 15, 1983, and behind the cover of a parked truck climbed inside with a ladder. Having staked out the museum, he knew the alarm was broken and the guard was stationed in front. Police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby said Diller was very thin and able to slither in and out of the opening unnoticed throughout the night. He said the clocks were generally small enough to easily pass through and Diller had the expertise to take others apart if needed. The spokesman said police had thought of Diller as a possible suspect in 1983 but found nothing to link him to the robbery. In addition, police thought the heist was the work of a gang of at least three robbers. Yaniv said he and his colleagues were shocked to discover Diller acted alone. Diller later moved to Europe, where he operated under several identities and was briefly jailed before moving to Los Angeles, where he died of cancer. Hasson said she was ecstatic to get at least part of the collection back and plans to have the clock display open again within the two months. She said the museum purchased the watches back for a "symbolic" fee after Diller's widow tried to sell the stolen goods elsewhere and failed. "The clocks are so well-known that nobody would buy them," she said. ___ Associated Press researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art: http://www.islamicart.co.il/default-eng.asp Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: World Auto sales 'unsustainably weak'; GM's fall 45 pct.AP - 31 minutes ago Dad: Slain SC trick-or-treater saved him, siblingsAP - 32 minutes ago UN says Rwanda tanks fired at CongoAP - 36 minutes ago DNA links bones near plane crash site to FossettAP - 52 minutes ago DNA confirms remains of millionaire flyer Steve FossettAFP - 54 minutes ago Most Popular – World Viewed Foods to prevent disease? Obama in command on eve of US vote Hamilton pips Massa to Formula One title in tense Brazil finale Formula One driver Hamilton wins 2008 F1 championship Australia anxious as Indonesia prepares to execute Bali bombers View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology

Other News on Monday, 3 November 2008
Gunmen kidnap Afghan government adviser in Pakistan: police
French aid worker kidnapped in Kabul, Afghan killed
French aid worker kidnapped in Kabul, Afghan killed
Iraq: Key figures since the war began
Iran marks U.S. embassy seizure, some ponder ties | International |
Google, Yahoo send revised ad deal to Justice Dept: report
Tokyo stocks soar more than four percent
Abbas sees no peace deal with Israel this year | International |
Never too late: Cops crack 25-year-old clock theft
Silicon Valley favorite Obama releases technology video
DNA confirms remains of millionaire flyer Steve Fossett
Iran FM condems US raid on solidarity visit to Syria
Venezuela's Chavez attacks opposition rival | International |
China top target for computer attacks: Microsoft
Obama, McCain launch final day election blitz
Pakistan tells Petraeus to stop missile strikes | International |
HP beefs up data centers while trimming electric use
Alleged bin Laden aide gets life sentence from Guantanamo jury
String of bombings shakes Baghdad, kills 10
France urges U.N. Congo peacekeepers to get tough | International |
Automakers face peril as October US sales dive
Gunmen kidnap Frenchman, kill Afghan in Kabul | International |
Iraqi vote on minorities marks step to elections
Stock markets wary on eve of US presidential vote
Minister escapes bombing as Iraq attacks claim seven
Jury selected in trial of suspected arms dealer | International |
Global financial crisis drives EU toward recession
Rules of war made simple for world military leaders | International |
Obama's grandmother, family 'rock', dies on election eve
Iraq deputy oil minister wounded in Baghdad bombing
Family ties take root in Malaysian politics | International |
Zimbabwe auctions four tonnes of ivory to China, Japan
Analyst says iPhone production may be cut | Technology |
Yahoo, Google revise deal in hopes of approval: source | Technology |
Alleged bin Laden aide gets life sentence from Guantanamo jury
Tokyo stocks soar more than four percent
Obama's grandmother, family 'rock', dies on election eve
Seoul shares open higher; banks, airlines rise
Microsoft, LG sign mobile collaboration deal | Technology |
US may airlift African peacekeepers to Darfur
NZ new car registrations up 12 pct in October
Yahoo replaces media chief as more execs leave | Technology |
Burning flags, Iranians cheer US Embassy takeover
Stock markets wary on eve of US presidential vote
Salesforce.com unveils new services, pushes its cloud | Technology |
Army of global journalists descends on US for election
NZ govt. accounts in deficit in September
China sacks drunk official outed on Internet | Technology |
World closely watching US presidential elections
Russian October oil output highest in year
Global financial crisis drives EU toward recession
Pepsi to invest $1.0 billion in China
SKorea: Microsoft plans $60 million investment
Keanu Reeves not liable for paparazzo injuries | Entertainment |
Pakistan targets 80 bln rupees from T-bill auction
Jane Fonda returns to Broadway after four decades | Entertainment |
Chinese manufacturing activity slows sharply
Bond breaks British box office record | Entertainment |
Media groups turn on Web for election cover | Entertainment |
`HSM3' takes box-office curtain call with $15.3M
High School Musical repeats atop box office | Entertainment |
Study links teen pregnancy to sexy TV shows | Entertainment |
Bollywood's Shah Rukh will play his age | Entertainment |
Taiwan and China to sign agreements | International |
Japanese clone mouse from frozen cell, aim for mammoths
Cummings wins 12th Melbourne Cup with Viewed
Twin bombs wound dozens in Muslim southern Thailand | International |
India's moon mission enters lunar space
Japan government under fire over general's war comments | International |
Viewed wins Melbourne Cup
North Korea building base for bigger missiles: South | International |
China plane-makers target aviation giants as airshow opens
Young, handsome king to wear Bhutan's Raven Crown | International |
Congo rebels blast government for refusing negotiations
Pakistan tells Petraeus to stop missile strikes | International |
China, Taiwan begin historic talks on closer ties
History beckons Obama, McCain on election day
U.S., Australia embassies in Jakarta get bomb threat | International |
State board clears Palin in 'Troopergate' probe
Floods kill at least 120 in Vietnam and China | International |
Bin Laden aide gets life sentence at Guantanamo trial
Yahoo, Google revise deal in hopes of approval: source | Technology |
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,190
China tightens supervision of trade payments
Robodoc: surgeon of the future in theaters now | Technology |
Russian abstract painting bucks art gloom
Bridgestone nine-month profit slumps 40 percent
Experimental HIV vaccine may have increased infection risk: study
Senior Apple executive to leave: report | Technology |
Panasonic, Sanyo shares soar amid takeover reports
S.Korea says has no plans to tap IMF funding for now
Seoul shares end up 2 pct helped by banks, builders
SKorea's Lee urges exporters to diversify markets amid slowdown
Harvard University beats Harvard Jeans in Philippine court
Brent oil falls below 60 dollars in Asian trade
GE unit to buy five Chinese jets with option for 20 more
Korea Hot Stocks-Hynix, Hana Tour, Daewoo Shipbuilding, builders
Report: China's AVIC plans foreign acquisition
TV shows may see post-election ratings growth | Entertainment |
Surfers plead innocent over paparazzi brawl | Entertainment |
Three Stooges bringing zany antics to big screen | Entertainment |
Michael Douglas to be honored by movie producers | Entertainment |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01