Werner Haas, vice president of Diamant-Club Wien, in Vienna, Austria, was shot to death Sept. 27 while at work an in office attached to his home, apparently during a robbery attempt. Ernest Blom, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, has expressed his shock at the news of the murder.

“This is a senseless and outrageous tragedy,” Blom said on behalf of the WFDB. “Nothing that we do or handle could ever justify such as an act, and we hope that the Austrian police authorities will be able to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible. Our hearts go out to Werner’s family and to his colleagues and friends at the Diamant-Club Wien.”

Haas, 46, was a diamantaire and jeweler. He served as vice president and spokesman of his bourse.

While it appears that robbery was a motive, the Vienna police are still unsure of many of the details of the murder, according to two Austrian newspapers, Der Standard and the Wiener Zeitung.

What they do know is that he was killed between 8:30 a.m. and noon. He was shot once in the front and in the back. His credit card was missing and the safe was open but many diamonds and other values were left untouched. In addition, there was no sign of forced entry so police said that Haas may have known the murderer.

JCK