German Police Have Arrested the Final Suspect—a Fugitive Twin—in the Shocking $1 Billion Dresden Green Vault Heist

The fugitive's twin brother, also a suspect, is already in police custody.

The Dresden Castle, home to the Green Vault Museum. Photo ©Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

Police in Berlin have captured Abdul Majed Remmo, the fifth and final suspect connected to the shocking 2019 jewel heist at Dresden’s Green Vault Museum, or Grünes Gewölbe.

Authorities had been searching for the 22-year-old man since he evaded capture in a sting operation late last year. He is the twin brother of fellow suspect Mohammed Remmo, who is already in custody. Remmo will appear before a judge next Tuesday where he could face charges of aggravated gang theft and arson, reports CNN.

Germany’s federal police worked with the Berlin state authorities, Dresden police, and special forces to make the arrest.

Due to German privacy laws regarding ongoing criminal proceedings, the brothers have not been officially named by law enforcement officials. The Remmos are already widely known, however, as one of the nation’s most notorious crime families. They are believed to also have stolen a $5 million commemorative gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017, among other high-profile crimes.

This undated photo provide by the State Art Collection in Dresden shows the Jewelry Room of the Green Vault before the 2019 robbery. Photo by David Brandt, courtesy of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

This undated photo provide by the State Art Collection in Dresden shows the Jewelry Room of the Green Vault before the 2019 robbery. Photo by David Brandt, courtesy of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

At the Green Vault Museum, the thieves stole three sets of Baroque jewelry, all lifted from a single display case in an early morning heist. The institution, which was founded by Saxon ruler Augustus the Strong in 1723, is known for its historic collection of precious treasure.

The media speculated that the stolen jewelry could be worth as much as $1 billion—which would make it Europe’s most costly museum heist—but the state considers the objects priceless due to their cultural value.

Epaulette (diamond rose set) Christian August Globig and August Gotthelf Globig. Dresden 1782-1789. Consists of 20 large and 216 small diamonds, as well as silver and gold. Green Vault, Dresden State Art Collections. Photo: Karpinski

Epaulette (diamond rose set) Christian August Globig and August Gotthelf Globig. Dresden 1782-1789. Consists of 20 large and 216 small diamonds, as well as silver and gold. Green Vault, Dresden State Art Collections. Photo by Karpinski.

“We cannot give a value because it is impossible to sell,” Dresden’s State Art Collections director, Marion Ackermann, told the Associated Press at the time of the crime. “The material value doesn’t reflect the historic meaning.”

Police made three arrests in connection with the crime in November 2020, and a fourth the following month, when they nabbed Mohammed Remmo. The search for the treasures is ongoing.


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