While many were dressed up as Imperial villains or Rebel thieves at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, some attendees took it too far by stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of memorabilia.
The convention at the ExCel centre welcomed thousands of Star Wars fans across three days and was reportedly packed with very little effective queue and crowd management. As with most events of that size, chaos reigned – and potentially made it easier for some people to make off with valuable goods.
As reported by Time Out, a group of thieves was allegedly seen pocketing vintage figurines and appraisinng original steel lightsabers. Since the event itself, the authorities have already arrested one suspect, a 60-year-old man who was found hiding among a group of fans dressed like Wookiees in a cafe near the exhibition itself.
A source also told the Sun that “it was the kind of raid you’d see in a film — slick and well organised.”
The police are still looking for the rest of the alleged thieves and it’s not yet confirmed how much (if any) of the merchandise has been reclaimed. During the event, attendees also helped police to search for suspects once the venue had been locked down in an attempt to prevent the suspects from leaving ExCel London.
Featured image: Lucasfilm
