An audacious heist that rocked London 25 years ago is the subject of a new Netflix documentary

A stranger-than-fiction documentary about robbers who tried to steal a £350 million diamond is coming to Netflix next week.

Produced by famed filmmaker Guy Ritchie, The Diamond Heist pulls back the curtain on what would have been the biggest heist of all time. Rewinding the clock back to November, 2000, the audacious scheme was targeted at the new Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena).

When the capital unveiled its new dome, a gang from South-East London set out to steal a flawless diamond from a collection inside the building.

Their audacious plot will be explored in the three-part series, which will feature accounts from one of the real-life men behind the scheme.

The Diamond Heist release date

The Diamond Heist will be available to stream on Wednesday, April 16, with Netflix dropping all three episodes at the same time.

For those looking to get a glimpse of what the docu-series has in store, its thrilling trailer is out now.

The Diamond Heist plot

When the new dome was unveiled, it naturally became the subject of much public attention for its exhibitions. One of the world’s leading diamond companies, De Beers, drew attention with its diamonds display.

One of the company’s jewels, a pear-shaped 203.04-carat diamond, caught the attention of a local gang. The group plotted to raid the exhibition by ramming a bulldozer into the building, stealing whatever they could, and fleeing by a speedboat through the Thames.

The robbery went surprisingly well for the gangsters, but the Met Police’s Flying Squad had been watching the entire scheme unfold.

As teased by Netflix: “A group of South-East London criminals are orchestrating what just might be the most audacious heists of all time.

“Their plan: use a bulldozer to ram-raid the brand new Millennium Dome in broad daylight, steal the world’s second biggest flawless diamond in a haul worth £350 million, and escape by speedboat down the Thames. There’s just one tiny problem: the Flying Squad are watching.”

The documentary explores the thieves’ plan in detail and reveals how the Flying Squad captured them.

The Diamond Heist cast

The Diamond Heist is told from various perspectives including Lee Wenham, one of the gang members who orchestrated the raid. It also features accounts from the police officers who were instrumental in stopping the heist.

Wenham will additionally tell his story in the upcoming novel, Diamond Gangster, publishing on May 22.

The Diamond Heist premieres on Wednesday, April 16, on Netflix