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Six suspects in the violent and brazen 2004 heist of Edvard Munch's still-missing masterpiece "The Scream" will go on trial in Oslo on February 14, police said Wednesday.
Five of the accused are charged with aggravated robbery and the sixth with dealing in stolen goods.
The trial is expected to last five weeks, police lawyer Morten Hojem Ervik told AFP.
On August 22, 2004, two armed and hooded thieves burst into the Oslo Munch Museum and threatened a member of staff with a gun while stunned tourists looked on.
After ripping Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna" from the walls, the robbers fled the scene in a stolen car driven by an accomplice.
Edvard Munch (1863-1944) made several versions of the two masterpieces, which are believed to be worth as much as 100 million dollars (83 million euros) and are still missing.
"We still hope to find these paintings. It is still possible to solve this case," Hojem Ervik said.
One of suspected robbers, the alleged getaway driver, the suspected mastermind, and two presumed accomplices will be present at the trial. The second robber remains at large, according to police.
The man suspected of dealing in stolen goods owned a bus where the two paintings were hidden for a month after the robbery. They were later moved to an unknown location.
The five men charged with aggravated robbery linked to organized crime could face up to 17 years behind bars, while the person suspected of dealing in stolen goods could face up to six years in prison.
All the defendants have pleaded innocent.
phy/nl/po/mh
AFPEntertainment-Norway-art-crime-Munch
AFP 011427 GMT 02 06
COPYRIGHT 2004 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.
