Armed robbers stole £6m of jewellery in daylight raid

Armed robbers burst into an exclusive London jewellers and stole precious stones worth an estimated £6m in one of the biggest gem raids in Britain, police said yesterday.

Two smartly-dressed men entered Graff's jewellers in New Bond Street posing as wealthy customers at midday on Tuesday.

In full view of several other customers, they threatened staff, forcing them to hand over 47 items valued between £15,000 and £500,000, including earrings, pendants, rings and bracelets, all with diamonds.

As they left the shop, whose customers include Naomi Campbell, Mike Tyson and Ivana Trump, they opened fire on two security guards.

Two local security staff on duty in the area gave chase to the men as they fled. After a struggle one of the suspects was caught by the security men in nearby Cork Street, where police arrested him.

One of the security men was injured in the struggle and had to be taken to hospital. Detectives believe that at some point during the chase a shot was fired from a handgun that was later recovered, still containing five bullets. A second man is missing. He is described as a white male, tanned, possibly of eastern European appearance and wearing a suit and tie.

Graff's was founded by Laurence Graff, listed as the 224th richest man in Britain by The Sunday Times with a fortune of £145m. In 1993, thieves stole £7m from the jeweller's Hatton Garden workshop.

Det Insp Andy Dunn of the Flying Squad said the robbery was "well planned, the men were armed and did use threats". He praised the "quick-thinking" security staff, one of whom held onto the suspect until the police arrived.