A Daring Nighttime Robbery
On a spring night in April 1983, a thief slipped past security at the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. In the darkness, he stole 106 rare clocks valued in the tens of millions of dollars, including a $30 million watch commissioned for Marie Antoinette, before vanishing without a trace.
A Mystery Unfolds Over Decades
For two decades, the heist baffled investigators. The museum’s cases stood empty, and despite efforts by local police, Interpol, and even Mossad, the clocks remained missing.
A Deathbed Confession
In 2004, the mystery took a turn when career criminal Naaman Diller confessed to the theft on his deathbed. His widow, Nili Shamrat, tried to return some of the clocks anonymously, but police traced the pieces to her. Diller, a master forger known for his daring bank heists, had stored the clocks in safety deposit boxes worldwide.
Clocks Recovered, But Questions Remain
By 2009, 96 of the 106 stolen timepieces had been recovered, thanks to clues found in Diller’s notes. The remaining ten clocks are still missing. Today, the recovered collection is back on display in a theft-proof safe.
The Daring 1983 Clock Heist That Went Unsolved ⏱️
A Daring Nighttime Robbery
On a spring night in April 1983, a thief slipped past security at the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. In the darkness, he stole 106 rare clocks valued in the tens of millions of dollars,… pic.twitter.com/sUHgMrmai1— Detective Tiger’s Stories (@TBBOB2) September 8, 2024