Antwerp's Diamond District

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A man stole $28 million worth of diamonds from an Antwerp bank where he had been a trusted customer for a year using a stolen Argentine passport, officials said Monday.
 

Well Known Customer

Police believe he may have carefully planned the robbery, becoming one of several trusted diamond traders with access to the vault. The suspect had been a regular customer at the bank for the past year, giving the name Carlos Hector Flomenbaum from Argentina.
 

Jewish Control

More than half the world's diamonds are traded in Antwerp's gem district, a maze of tiny streets hugging the main train station. Its turnover of $23 billion a year makes it one of the densest concentrations of valuables on earth.

Jewish traders have been there for five centuries. Bearded men in broad black hats still predominate

Flees To Israel

This suspect is believed to be the accomplice of the chief suspect, 55-year-old Yehuda M. The main suspect is still on the loose.

He is believed to have be acting under an assumed name, Carlos Flomenbaum, and is thought to have escaped to Israel.