Six German men have been charged with organised robbery and arson after they allegedly broke into a Dresden museum and stole 18th century jewels.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 27, are accused of raiding the city’s Green Vault museum on 25 November 2019 and making off with 21 pieces of jewellery containing more than 4,300 diamonds, valued at €113.8m (£97.6m).

German prosecutors claimed they started a fire before the break-in to cut the power supply for street lights outside the museum and also set a car ablaze in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin.

The stolen items are still missing and the men, who remain in custody, have not addressed the accusations against them.

The Green Vault, established in 1723, is one of the world’s oldest museums.

It contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, made up of around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.

The state court in Dresden will now decide whether to bring the case to a trial.

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