In a brazen daylight strike on Sunday morning, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre Museum and, while tourists were already inside, forced open a window, smashed display cases, and fled with jewels of “inestimable value,” according to France’s Interior Minister.
The world’s most visited museum closed for the day as police sealed the gates and ushered visitors out during the ongoing investigation. “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati wrote on X. The museum cited “exceptional reasons” for the closure. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Around 9:30 a.m. local time, several intruders forced open a window, stole jewels from vitrines, and escaped on two-wheelers, authorities said. The Interior Ministry confirmed forensic work is underway and a precise inventory of the stolen objects is being compiled. The items have been described as having “inestimable” historical value.
Video footage from the scene showed confused tourists being ushered out of the glass pyramid and surrounding courtyards as officers shut the iron gates and closed nearby streets along the Seine.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it a “major robbery,” revealing that the intruders entered from the outside using a basket lift. Speaking on France Inter radio, he explained that the heist took just seven minutes and that the thieves used a disc cutter to slice through the panes. He added, “It was manifestly a team that had done scouting.”
The theft occurred in the Galerie d’Apollon, a vaulted hall in the Denon wing that displays part of the French Crown Jewels beneath a ceiling painted by King Louis XIV’s court artist, according to the ministry.
After breaking the windows, the thieves reportedly took nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One stolen jewel was later found outside the museum. It is believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown, though it was reportedly broken.
Security around marquee works remains tight. The Mona Lisa, for example, is protected by bulletproof glass and a custom high-tech display system as part of broader anti-theft measures implemented throughout the museum.
https://www.nysun.com/article/thieves-make-off-with-frances-crown-jewels-in-brazen-daylight-raid-on-louvre-museum