Apr 16, 2007, 19:03 GMT
Brussels/Antwerp - A suspect in the recent theft of diamonds worth millions from a bank in Antwerp was arrested in Germany where the booty is suspected to have been hidden, Belgian authorities said on Monday.
The 47-year-old had been travelling over thousands of kilometres through Germany and the Netherlands in a rented car before he was apprehended in Frankfurt last week.
Dominique Reyniers of the public prosecutor's office in Antwerp said investigations would have to determine whether he hid the diamonds in some of the places he passed through or whether he had placed it in safekeeping.
The main suspect in the theft, Yehuda M., known in Antwerp as Carlo Flomenbaum, remained at large, having probably travelled to Israel, Reyniers said. It is known that he held a safety deposit box at the Antwerp bank, which he had provided with a false Argentinian passport.
The exact role played by the detained suspect, was however, not clear. Belgian authorities have requested his extradition.
There has been no trace of the diamonds, worth 28 million dollars and weighing 24 kilos, since it was reported stolen from ABN Amro bank in Antwerp's diamond quarter on March 5.
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