Authorities: Thief stole $136M in diamonds

PARIS -- A scarf masking his face, the gunman sneaked into the Cannes hotel and held up a diamond show before fleeing a minute later as three security guards looked on. He made off with a breathtaking $136 million worth of valuables, the biggest heist in years, maybe ever.

It was a French Riviera robbery that might make Hollywood scriptwriters smile. And it even happened at a hotel that was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief."

A state prosecutor provided new details Monday about the brazen noontime heist a day earlier at the Carlton Intercontinental hotel, not least that the loot was actually worth more than twice the $53 million estimate that police had first announced. -- AP