Stradivarius violins at the new Stradivarius exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK, on 12 June 2013

Three arrested in theft of rare Stradivarius violin

Authorities in the US state of Wisconsin have arrested three people in connection with the theft of a three-century-old violin valued at $5m (£3m).

The rare Stradivarius was stolen on 27 January from the Milwaukee Symphony concertmaster, to whom it had been lent.

A $100,000 reward had been offered for the instrument's safe return.

Heavenly strings

Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 and died in Cremona, Italy, in 1737
He made over 1,000 violins, violas and violoncellos, and was commissioned by royalty throughout Europe
Golden period considered to be from 1700-1725
It is believed that around 650 of the instruments have survived
His most famous violins include the 1715 Lipinski and the 1716 Messiah

What makes the Strad so special?

Authorities have not said whether the violin, known as the Lipinski Strad, has been recovered.

Police say a robber used a stun gun on concertmaster Frank Almond in a church car park after a performance, then fled with the violin.

The instrument was built in 1715 by master Antonio Stradivari, widely considered the greatest violin maker in history.

The Lipinski Strad was formerly owned by Polish player Karol Lipinski and 18th Century virtuoso Giuseppe Tartini.

The violin's current owner, who has requested anonymity, said her "heart is broken" following the theft.

"[I am] just a person who loved her family violin with all its memories and three hundred years of history more than the many opportunities to sell it," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.