Crown jewels belonging to the Swedish royal family were swiped in a heist by thieves who made their escape via speedboat.
The jewels were stolen from the Strängnäs Cathedral, located in a small town west of Stockholm, on Tuesday.
Police said the culprits swiped two gold crowns and a royal orb from the cathedral before fleeing via a speedboat which was moored under the church.
Officers chased the thieves by boat and helicopter - but were unable to apprehend them.
They are now calling for any witnesses to come forward and help with the search for the perpetrators.
The incident is reminiscent of a heist and boat chase through the Venice canals in the 2003 Hollywood remake of The Italian Job.
The gold crowns belonged to King Charles IX and Queen Christina and date back to the early 1600s.
King Charles IX of Sweden was king between 1604-11 and died at age 61.
Portrait of King Charles IX of Sweden (1550-1611). Found in the collection of Nationalmuseum Stockholm. Source: Hulton Fine Art Collection
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