On 27 August 2026, jewels were stolen from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, the MAK. The robbery immediately raised uncomfortable questions in the Austrian press about the museum's security arrangements and about how staff had behaved during the incident. To answer them, an external investigative commission was appointed, made up of Michael Zoratti and Martin Jezl, and tasked with examining whether the museum or its personnel bore any responsibility. The commission's report, running to 34 pages, has now been published, and its verdict is unambiguous: no failings on the part of the MAK could be proven. As the Austrian daily Der Standard reports, the museum was found to have complied with all applicable norms and standards. One of the report's central findings is that the protection of people correctly took precedence over the securing of objects during the robbery. The police and the security control centre were alerted promptly, and the conduct of the security staff defused the situation, preventing it from escalating into a confrontation or even a hostage-taking. MAK director general Lilli Hollein stressed that the perpetrators had acted with great brutality and a high degree of professionalism, underlining that the museum had faced an exceptionally determined attack rather than an opportunistic theft. The findings effectively close the institutional debate over blame, shifting attention back to the criminal investigation. That investigation, led by the state criminal police office, is still ongoing. For tactical reasons the authorities are making no further public statements about the case at this stage, and the stolen jewels have not been recovered.