Claim It was the De Beers vault.
Timeline beat 15–16 Feb 2003 — Vault emptied
It was a multi-tenant Diamond Centre strong room. De Beers is a different institution in a larger trade.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety74
Mystery70
Scale80
Evidence60
Legal impact35
Culture58
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
When did the Antwerp diamond heist happen?
Over the weekend of 15–16 February 2003, at the Antwerp Diamond Centre in the city's diamond quarter. Tenants discovered emptied safe-deposit boxes when business resumed. Belgian police opened the investigation that week.
How much was taken?
Contemporary reports and later English books used a figure on the order of $100 million in diamonds, jewellery, gold and cash. Because many tenants used the vault, there is no single audited public inventory. The number is a 2003-scale estimate, not a courtroom exhibit total.
Who was convicted?
Leonardo Notarbartolo, who rented space in the building, was the best-known defendant and served a Belgian sentence. Associates later grouped in English as the School of Turin were convicted in person or in absentia. Convictions did not include recovery of most of the goods.
Were the diamonds recovered?
Most were not. A discarded cache of papers and tape near Brussels helped investigators, but it was not the haul. Loose stones are hard to identify once recut or resold. The recovery column remains the open half of a mixed case.
What is the School of Turin?
An English-language nickname, popularised after the fact, for the Italian group around Notarbartolo. It is not an official Belgian court title. The phrase signals a crew from the Turin area, not a licensed school.
Was this the De Beers vault?
No. The Diamond Centre held many tenants' boxes. English headlines sometimes blurred the building with the wider Antwerp trade or with De Beers. The public record is a multi-tenant vault in the diamond quarter.
The theft weekend is two dates. The legal story runs through Belgian courts and later interviews.
Figures in dollars are 2003-scale press estimates unless a court paper is named.
Timeline
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
- Vault emptied
Over the weekend, safe-deposit boxes in the Antwerp Diamond Centre are emptied of stones, jewellery, gold and cash belonging to multiple tenants.
- Loss discovered
Tenants and building staff find the boxes empty when business resumes. Belgian police open the investigation.
- Brussels-woods find
Discarded Diamond Centre-related papers and tape near the Forêt de Soignes give investigators a path to a building tenant.
- Notarbartolo arrested
Leonardo Notarbartolo, who rented an office in the centre, is arrested in Antwerp and becomes the public face of the case.
- Antwerp convictions
Belgian court proceedings convict Notarbartolo and associates. Some sentences are in absentia. Prison terms begin for those in custody.
- English magazine file
Wired and related English features fix the School of Turin nickname and the $100 million shorthand for a global audience.
- Flawless published
Selby and Campbell's book becomes the main English narrative. It is journalism, not an official Belgian report.
- Later interviews
Notarbartolo and others speak to the press, disputing scale or roles. The stones remain largely unrecovered.
- District security review
The diamond quarter and building operators tighten tenant and vault practice. No single named statute defines the afterlife.
- Mixed and still missing
English anniversary pieces repeat the same two facts: convictions on the record, most of the haul off it.
Claim versus timeline
Each public-record claim on this dossier sits beside the timeline chapter already on the page.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
Claim The School of Turin is an official gang title.
Timeline beat Feb 2003 — Loss discovered
The phrase is later English journalism. Belgian courts convicted named defendants, not a registered school.
Claim The diamonds came back after the trial.
Timeline beat 2003 — Brussels-woods find
Convictions and recovery are different columns. Most of the haul never reappeared as the 2003 lot.
Claim A magazine feature is a how-to.
Timeline beat 2003 — Notarbartolo arrested
Wired and Flawless are secondary stories. This atlas will not convert them into instructions.
Beat weight marks
Mark each timeline beat already on this dossier as supported, contested or unknown, using the public-record claims already filed here. Not a verdict.
Editorial marks on this device only. Public-record encyclopedia — not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
| Timeline beat | Supported / Contested / Unknown |
|---|---|
| 15–16 Feb 2003 — Vault emptied Claim already on file: It was the De Beers vault. | |
| Feb 2003 — Loss discovered Claim already on file: The School of Turin is an official gang title. | |
| 2003 — Brussels-woods find Claim already on file: The diamonds came back after the trial. | |
| 2003 — Notarbartolo arrested Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2005 — Antwerp convictions Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2009 — English magazine file Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2010 — Flawless published Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2010s — Later interviews Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2010s — District security review Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. | |
| 2020s — Mixed and still missing Claim already on file: A magazine feature is a how-to. |
After the Antwerp sentences, the timeline is culture and non-recovery, not restitution.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.