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Detectives are closing in on the gang who staged the £40million Mayfair diamond robbery.
Police believe they have identified at least one member of the group which staged Britain's biggest ever gems heist at Graff Diamonds 12 days ago. They are confident that the identities of other members will become clear.
The breakthrough came after DNA tests on a blue BMW abandoned during the getaway returned a hit on the police database.
Forensics experts are also testing make-up equipment used to transform the appearance of the two gunmen who snatched 43 pieces of jewellery and diamond encrusted watches from the New Bond Street store. One source close to the inquiry said: "There is a wealth of evidence for us to work on. This is now a fast-moving investigation and we are working on identifying the full network involved in the robbery."
In a further development, police have found one of the cars believed to have been used in the gang's getaway. The blue VW Sharan was found burned out in Ickenham.
Detectives now believe there were six men in the gang which staged the immediate raid. These included the two men - one white and one black - who walked into the store and a further four involved in the elaborate getaway plan, using three cars and a motorcycle. Both men who spoke to store staff had London accents. Detectives believe the raid was master-minded by a British criminal who is known to them. They believe the gang may still be hiding out in Britain.
A loaded handgun apparently abandoned by the gang as they fled is also expected to provide vital new clues and is being examined by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service.
The robbers fired a gun after briefly taking a Graff woman employee hostage during the two-minute robbery on 6 August. The two men fired at a security guard as they made their escape.
They then got in the BMW but were forced to transfer to a silver Mercedes after the first car crashed into a taxi. As they did so they fired at least one more shot as drinkers at a nearby pub gave chase.
The gang then transferred to the VW Sharan to make their final escape. A high-powered motorcycle was also used, possibly as a final back-up if the cars became stuck in traffic.
The men are believed to have planned to stage the robbery two days earlier but abandoned the attempt.
On both occasions they employed two make-up artists who they duped into disguising their appearance. Both are now under police guard and helping police with images of the two men.
Police say that people who knew the two men would still be able to recognise their faces beneath the liquid latex prosthetics masks.
