Top 3: History's Most Audacious Airport Robberies.
- The Lufthansa heist at JFK in 1978 resulted in the theft of $5.8 million ($27.2 million today), making it one of US history's most extensively investigated crimes.
- In 2013, eight masked gunmen stole $50 million of diamonds from a Swiss-bound aircraft at Brussels Airport but were later caught making mistakes trying to sell the stolen goods.
- Seven Dutch nationals orchestrated a jewelry heist at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2005, making away with diamonds valued at around $80 million, but only some of the goods have been recovered.
Some airports boast intriguing tales akin to scenes from action movies featuring robberies and heists. These audacious heist stories have left people amazed as they depict robbers successfully overcoming seemingly unbeatable security measures to achieve their goals. Here, present the top three most daring airport robberies in history.
A robbery known as the Lufthansa heist unfolded at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on December 11, 1978. The robbery resulted in the theft of approximately $5.8 million, which, adjusted for inflation to 2023, equates to $27.6 million. The stolen loot included significant cash, totaling $5 million, and an additional $875000 worth of jewelry.
On the night of December 11, 1978, a black Ford van carrying six people arrived at Building 261, Lufthansa's cargo terminal at JFK. The group entered the terminal wearing ski masks and gloves, cutting the padlock at the gate with bolt cutters.
Inside the terminal, the first employee taken hostage was John Murray, a senior cargo agent. He was accompanied into the lunchroom, where five other Lufthansa staff were having their meal break and were ordered to lie flat on the floor with their eyes closed. They removed 72 fifteen-pound cartons of untraceable money from the vault and placed them inside the van.
James Burke, an associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York, was believed to be the mastermind behind the robbery. However, he was never officially charged in connection with the crime. The only individual convicted in the Lufthansa heist was Louis Werner, an airport worker who played a role in the planning. Neither the money nor the jewelry has ever been recovered. Due to the enormity of the heist, it became one of the most extensively investigated crimes in US history.
Diamond Heist At Brussels Airport.
One of the largest diamond heists in recent years unfolded at Brussels Airport. In 2013, eight masked gunmen stole precious stones worth about $50 million from the hold of a Swiss-bound Fokker 100 operated by Helvetic Airways on the apron at BRU airport.
Before the heist, the robbers hid in a construction site outside the airport. Armed with Kalashnikov-type assault rifles and disguised as police officers, the robbers accessed the airport by breaching the security fence. They entered the premises, driving a black Mercedes van and an Audi equipped with flashing blue police lights.
Their journey led them to the aircraft, where gems were being transferred from a Brink's armored van, which had traveled from Antwerp. The valuable cargo was intended to be loaded onto Flight LX789, a Fokker-100 twin-engine jet bound for Zurich. The robbers loaded 130 bags into their getaway cars and drove off, but in their rush, they left some gems behind. The entire robbery operation was executed within approximately five minutes.
Law enforcement arrested 31 individuals linked to the theft, leading to the recovery of some of the stolen diamonds. Among those apprehended, 19 people faced charges related to the crime. Despite the seamless execution of the robbery, the suspects' mistakes emerged when they attempted to sell the stolen goods, eventually leading to their identification.
Schiphol Airport Diamond Heist.
One of aviation's most significant jewelry heists took place at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2005. Disguised as airport workers, a group of seven Dutch nationals orchestrated the theft, making away with diamonds valued at around $80 million just as they were being prepared to be placed on a plane bound for Antwerpen, Europe's diamond capital.
Employing a stolen KLM van, the robbers managed to access the airside. Following a tip-off, all Dutch nationals involved in the heist were arrested in Spain and Amsterdam in 2017, 12 years after the incident occurred. The robbers were jailed, where they will sit for up to seven years. A seventh man, said to be the brains behind the heist, died before he could come to trial. Some stolen diamonds were recovered from a getaway car, but approximately $43 million of gems are still missing.