Jewelry Store Thief Now In Custody

The man responsible for a daring early-morning jewelry store robbery in the Fjörður shopping centre in Hafnarfjörður last month has confessed. Most of the loot is still missing.

Assistant police superintendent Margeir Sveinsson told MBL that the thief in question, a man in his forties who is an Icelandic resident, was the same man who was arrested and questioned a few days after the robbery and then released. The suspect is not in police custody, as he has confessed to the crime and is not considered a flight risk.

Clues had been left behind which led to the suspect. Articles of clothing matching those worn by the thief were found around town, along with packaging used in the retail sale of jewelry. More evidence was later recovered during police home searches.

While the jewelry stolen is valued in the tens of millions of krónur, police have only recovered a portion of it. Margeir said that police are now investigating if any of it has been sent out of the country.

As reported last month, the success of the robbery rested upon a combination of the work of a professional thief and good luck. According to Guðmundur Bjarni Harðarson, Fjörður’s managing director, a security guard arrived at Fjörður at about 5:30 on the morning of the robbery, after receiving a call about an open door at the centre. The guard reportedly checked out the situation, turned the alarm system off, and did not turn it on again when he left.

At about 6:30, the thief attempted to break in on the ground floor, without luck, but they found another way in on the second floor. Upon reaching the jewelry store, the thief chose a side window that was covered in plastic film, thereby preventing broken glass from scattering to the ground after breaking it. Once inside, the thief went directly for the most expensive items in the store.

Due to the disabled alarm system, while the security bell went off once the thief got into the store, no call was made to security or other authorities about the break-in in progress. In fact, even though the security guard returned at 7:00, the store’s robbery was not noticed until 9:00.