It was protected by multiple security mechanisms, including a lock with 100 million possible combinations, infrared heat detectors, a seismic sensor, Doppler radar, and a magnetic field.

Leonardo Notarbartolo had rented a sparsely furnished office for approximately 25,000 Belgian francs ($700) per month in the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.

[4] The group used a variety of methods to overcome the security systems and left investigators confused as to how they had managed to successfully gain entry without triggering the security systems:[1] The group was caught after Notarbartolo and “Speedy” went to dispose of the evidence of their plans, planning to burn it in France.

Notarbartolo was busy burning his own evidence and when he discovered what “Speedy” had done, he decided it would take too long to gather everything up and they needed to leave, confident that nobody would find their rubbish.

[1][8] The theft was carried out by a five-man team led by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a professional thief who was skilled in social manipulation.

He is considered to be the leader of a ring of Italian thieves called "La Scuola di Torino" (The School of Turin),[3][12] who carried out the crime.

As a consequence, he was arrested again in 2013 at the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris during a layover from the United States to Turin, and was made to serve the remainder of his prison sentence until 2017.

[21] The first episode of the Audible Original Audio Series "HEIST with Michael Caine" gives an overview of the theft, largely taken from the book.

[13][23][24][25] BBC World Service podcast show, The Outlook, produced an audio episode, The detective and the diamond heist, describing the incident and aftermath.