Shots were fired during a botched heist attempt at a museum in Zaandam, Netherlands, this week with the would-be robbers attempting to steal a valuable Monet artwork before dropping it on the way out.
Taking place Sunday morning (August 15), one of the men fled the Zaans Museum with Monet’s De Voorzaan en de Westerhem tucked under his arm. Trying to mount a motorcycle driven by an unknown accomplice, a member of the public intervened. Following a scuffle, the criminal dropped the painting before he and his partner fled the scene on the bike.
Reports say that shots were fired by one of the suspects during the botched robbery, though no one was hurt. The motorcycle was later found abandoned on a road close by to the museum.
Tweeted in dutch, a post from the museum on social media said: “The Zaans Museum will be open again from Tuesday 17 August. A failed robbery took place at the museum on Sunday. No one was injured and nothing was stolen. The robbers were after Claude Monet's 'De Voorzaan en de Westerhem'. We are having the painting examined for possible damage and it will therefore temporarily not be shown. The perpetrators fled. The police are investigating and looking for witnesses.”
Local police also added that they had responded to reports of a “shooting incident” involving two men at the gallery. An investigation has been launched into the attempted theft. One of the men was described as white and wearing a grey helmet. The second man had a beard and was dressed in dark colours.
The artwork in question depicts a pair of sailboats passing a number of windmills. It’s believed to have been painted in Zaandam during the summer of 1871. The museum purchased the painting for €1.2m (US$1.4m, £1m) in 2015.
The museum remained closed on August 16, reopening the following day.
The art work remains in the museum’s possession following the botched robbery CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
