Raiders hide tear gas in bouquet

Two robbers escaped with jewellery worth £4 million in a raid on a Paris boutique after setting off a tear gas canister hidden in a bunch of flowers.

The pair walked into jewellers Fred in the Place Vendome opposite the Ritz wearing suits and dark glasses before pulling on gas masks and letting off the canister.

While staff and customers ran out into the street the men broke into display cabinets and took seven diamond rings, a platinum bracelet and jewel-encrusted brooch. They left the flowers in the shop and escaped in a stolen car which was found abandoned several miles away. CCTV footage indicated that the suspects in the weekend attack were in their thirties.

A police spokesman said: "These were two very smartly dressed men who had made sure they would not look out of place in a smart jewellers. They strolled in and browsed for a few minutes before suddenly pulling on small gas masks and triggering a tear gas canister hidden in a large bunch of flowers.

"The smoke filled the small shop and the two staff and two other customers ran out coughing. No one was hurt but the intensity of the fumes was such that it took the victims more than an hour to recover."