Royal Items in a Swedish Cathedral Stolen

Category: Top Stories

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. heist / haɪst / (n) – a case of robbery
    Example:

    More than two million dollars were stolen in the bank heist.


  2. evade / ɪˈveɪd / (v) – to escape or avoid
    Example:

    The suspects evaded arrest by pretending to be policemen.


  3. mastermind / ˈmæstɚˌmaɪnd / (n) – a person who planned an activity
    Example:

    The billionaire was the mastermind behind the latest crime.


  4. hard-pressed / ˈhɑɚdˈprɛst / (adj) – being in a difficult situation or position to do something
    Example:

    She is hard-pressed to pay for her tuition, so she borrowed money from the bank.


  5. loot / luːt / (n) – a stolen item
    Example:

    The robber’s loot included diamonds, money, and silverware.


Article

Read the text below.

Seventeenth-century royal items were stolen from a Swedish cathedral.


The heist, which took place on July 31 at the Strängnäs [STRAHNG-nahs] Cathedral, involved two golden royal crowns and a royal orb that were all covered with beads, pearls, and crystals. The crowns were owned by two of Sweden’s 17th-century monarchs, King Karl IX and Queen Christina.


According to reports, the thieves stole the items by breaking a locked display cabinet, which was also set with alarms. A witness scheduled to get married at the cathedral a week after the heist also reported seeing two men escape the cathedral and ride a speedboat to evade capture.


In early August, the police were able to identify one of the two men following a detective search in Stockholm [STOK-hohm] using helicopters, boats, and cars. However, the police were not able to recover all of the stolen royal items.


The police believe that the mastermind behind the robbery may be a specialist collector or someone who is not aware of the items’ value. Despite the speculations, the police claimed that the thieves would be hard-pressed to sell the loot. This is because there is a limited market for the Swedish royal items. Additionally, the jewels are easy to spot because their images are popular in the media.


The heist was all over the news, drawing the attention of international media as the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) ordered a warrant of arrest for the two suspects.


Johan Dalman, the bishop of Strängnäs Cathedral, commented that what the thieves did was equivalent to stealing a part of Swedish history, thus offending the entire nation.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• In your opinion, what are some other actions that the police should take to recover the stolen royal items? Discuss.
• How can other countries or international institutions provide support to recover the stolen items?

Discussion B

• What is the importance of protecting historical treasures? Explain.
• How do you think historical treasures can be protected (e.g. tighter security in museums)?