Irish tourist has €100,000 watch stolen in Milan

04 June 2026 , 10:52

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Watch moment a brazen thief steals a €100,000 watch from the wrist of Irish tourist in Italy.

The victim was attacked in Milan, Italy in April and cops have now released footage of the incident after they arrested a suspect and recovered the stolen watch.

This is the shocking moment a thief targets an Irish tourist in Italy - and steals his €100,000 watch.

The daylight robbery happened in the centre of Milan earlier this year - and cops have now released footage of the incident after arresting a suspect who was on the run.

The video shows one of a two man gang approaching the 58-year-old Irishman as he prepares to get into a taxi - and wrenching the watch from his wrist before escaping.

The brazen robbery happened on April 23 on Via Plinio, close to the centre of the northern Italian city.

Footage from a dashcam of a car beside the incident shows the tourist heading towards his taxi while one assailant watches him. His accomplice then approaches the Irishman from behind and rips the watch off him before escaping on a bicycle.

The Italian State Police began a major investigation and quickly found the attacker’s accomplice, a 25-year-old Frenchman.

But they kept up their probe and made a move on the main suspect - another Frenchman who is aged 29 - in the middle of May.

The Irishman, in white and on the left, walks to his taxi moments before the robbery. dqxikeidqkikdinv

That suspect was detained at a property on the western outskirts of Milan - around 8km from the scene of the crime. They also recovered the Irish victim’s watch - and also found clothes that matched those worn by the attacker during the robbery.

The suspect is now behind bars and Italian police have released this footage of the attack. They say the suspect is now behind bars in Milan.

The accomplice watched from a few feet away.

And they also say the valuable watch is being returned to its owner - who suffered bruising in the attack.

Italian cops confirmed in a statement that the victim was Irish. They said: “At approximately 7:15 PM on Thursday, April 23, 2026, near the taxi stand on Via Plinio, a 58-year-old Irish citizen was about to take a taxi when he was approached from behind by a man.

“He, in collaboration with a 25-year-old French citizen who had remained nearby to watch the scene and was later reported for the same crime, swiftly snatched the watch, worth approximately €100,000, from the victim’s wrist.

“He suffered bruising. The suspect then fled on a bicycle and disappeared without a trace.

“Investigations conducted by officers from the Central Police Station’s Investigative Team, including reviewing recordings from the dash cam installed on a taxi parked behind the one hailed by the 58-year-old, led to the identification of the 29-year-old.”

The police added: “He was stopped on Monday, May 18, in the courtyard of a building on Via Preneste. A purse containing the stolen watch and the clothing worn on the night of the robbery were found in the apartment he was staying in.”