On the 7th November 2000, seven criminals equipped with a bulldozer, speedboat and as much audacity as the Great Train Robbers, set out to steal £350 million worth of diamonds from the Millennium Dome. But instead they were caught by an undercover Flying Squad operation, every bit as bold and daring as their own. To coincide with the 20th anniversary, The Millennium Dome Heist with Ross Kemp sees presenter Ross Kemp go on an investigative journey to discover the untold story of the Millennium Dome Heist - one of the biggest and most audacious gem raids in the world. Using never-before-seen photographic evidence and incredible surveillance footage, Ross tracks down the key players in the police operation, many of whom have never spoken publicly before from veteran detectives and surveillance operatives who shadowed the gang's every move, to the firearms officers who made the arrests inside the diamond vault. Ross will take these people back to the original crime scenes to unpack the action, blow-by-blow, for the first time, to reveal the behind-the-scenes story of an intense and dramatic police operation. The target was £350 million worth of De Beers diamonds a unique collection of gems with the 203-carat flawless Millennium Star diamond as its centre piece. The diamonds were on show to the public at the newly opened Millennium Dome landmark and tourist attraction. It was here in November 2000, among families and school children, that the gang decided to strike in broad daylight - smashing through the perimeter fence with a JCB, throwing smoke grenades and using nail guns and sledgehammers to steal the diamonds. But there was a surprise waiting for them The story starts nine months earlier when a gang attempt to rob two security vans in London and in Kent. Using a truck-mounted steel spike, their plan was to violently prize open the van's back door and force the occupants to hand over the cash with firearms. In both robberies, they fail to steal any money but manage to escape via a speed boat. Police intelligence suggests that they're planning something even bigger so secretly set up the Flying Squad's biggest and most expensive operation of their 100-year history codenamed 'Magician' to deal with the imminent threat. Then the gang members are spotted repeatedly visiting the £350 million De Beers diamonds exhibit at the Millennium Dome attraction. If this was the next target, then it would be bigger haul than Brinks Mat, Hatton Garden, and the Great Train Robbery. Ross will reveal how this nail-biting operation played out with an army of surveillance operatives following the gang around the clock, crack teams of firearm offices smuggled into the Dome and on speedboats, and the detectives ready to make the call with the reputation of the Met Police at stake. For the first time, this film reveals the untold story of one of a crime that marked the end of an era and what would become one of the most daring heists ever attempted in British history.
This film was first broadcast: 11 Nov 2020
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