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STOLEN

Manhunt launched after fatal Schwyz shooting

A 24-year-old Moldovan man is dead and another man is on the run after a shoot-out with police at Ibergeregg, near a mountain pass in Schwyz on Wednesday.

Manhunt launched after fatal Schwyz shooting
View from hiking trail between Ibergeregg and Spirstock (Photo: Markus Bernet).

The incident occurred next to a construction site, near the Windstock restaurant, where cantonal police officers were attempting to check a stolen car and its occupants at around 6am, police said.

It is not clear why the shooting started, although at a press conference prosecutor Paul Schmidig told reporters the Moldovan was about to be arrested for an undisclosed charge.

The car, a black Volkswagen Caravelle, had been reported stolen in another canton the previous day and police had tracked down the vehicle.

It is not clear whether the two men were armed.

Within half an hour of the shooting, at least 100 police officers descended on the scene, including a canine unit, while a helicopter surveyed the area in search of the fugitive, Blick.ch reported.

Schwyz police described the missing man as 170 to 175 centimetres tall, 30 to 35 years old, with short fair hair.

The fugitive was wearing a dark jacket and “is likely to be wet and dirty”, police said.

He was last seen running into the woods.

His colleague “died on the spot,” police said.
 
The cantonal prosecutor’s office has been called in to investigate the case.

Forensic experts from Zurich and Zug police are also looking into the cause of the death.

According to Schwyz police commander Lorenzo Hutter, members of the force only use firearms as a last resort.

“It is important that the man who fled can be questioned on the unfolding of events,” prosecutor Schmidig said.

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THEFT

Qatar-owned jewels stolen from show at Venice’s Doge’s Palace

Jewels worth several thousands of euros and owned by Qatar's ruling family were stolen from a show at Venice’s Doge’s Palace on Wednesday morning, police said.

Qatar-owned jewels stolen from show at Venice's Doge's Palace
Venice's Doge's Palace. Photo: Olivier Morin/AFP

The jewels were taken from a case on display at the ‘Treasures of the Mughals and Maharaja' show, which had been due to close on Wednesday night.

Some 270 Indian gems and jewels, dating back to between the 16th and 20th centuries and belonging to the Al Thani collection, had been brought together for the exhibit at the Doge’s Palace, which was once the residence of Venice’s rulers.

Police are trying to ascertain how the jewels were stolen. According to initial reports, two people broke into the case and were able to make a getaway by blending into the crowd of visitors.

“Experts from Rome police were called immediately to shed some light on the theft,” Venice police commissioner Vito Gagliardi told Corriere.

“It’s important to understand what went wrong, because the case was opened as if it was a tin can while the alarm, if it worked at all, went off late.”

The jewels stolen, reported to include a brooch and a pair of earrings, are estimated to be worth €30,000.