This is the moment thieves smashed open a cabinet to steal diamond jewellery from one of Europe's largest treasure collections - the Dresden Green Vault in eastern Germany - as captured in CCTV released by police.

The museum's director described the three historic diamond sets that were stolen as "priceless". There are fears the thieves may try to break them up and sell them.

Dresden's police chief said the raid may be connected to a fire that affected an electrical distribution box in a nearby square, causing street lights outside the museum to switch off just before the raid and deactivating the alarm.