In a audacious daylight raid on Sunday, thieves made off with an “incalculable” collection of jewelry from the world-renowned Louvre Museum in Paris. The incident, confirmed by France’s interior minister, has led to the museum’s closure.
The meticulously planned heist began around 9:30 a.m. Laurent Nuñez, the interior minister, revealed on France Inter radio that the culprits utilized a specialized truck-mounted lift, typically employed for moving large items into upper-floor Parisian apartments through windows. This enabled them to forcibly enter the Galerie d’Apollon, a prestigious second-floor wing of the museum.
Inside the lavish Apollon Gallery, which proudly displays the royal collection of gems and historical crown diamonds—including famed pieces like “The Regent,” “The Sancy,” and the “Hortensia”—the thieves swiftly executed their plan. They smashed open two display cases, grabbed the precious jewels, and vanished on motor scooters. According to Mr. Nuñez, the entire operation unfolded in a mere seven minutes. While he refrained from detailing the specific items stolen, he emphasized their immense “patrimonial” and “historical” significance, deeming their value “priceless.”
“It’s a major robbery,” Mr. Nuñez stated, adding that investigators suspect three or four individuals were involved. The precision and speed of the operation suggest a team of seasoned, professional criminals.
However, the robbers inadvertently dropped one valuable piece during their escape, which was later recovered. Rachida Dati, France’s culture minister, informed local television that the retrieved item was reportedly the crown once worn by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. This magnificent crown is adorned with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds.
The robbery occurred while visitors were already inside the museum. Joseph Sanchez, a tourist from Puerto Rico, described a scene of initial panic among visitors, who feared a terrorist attack or fire. He and his family were queuing to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa when security guards urgently instructed everyone to evacuate the room. After more than an hour in the museum’s lobby, they were calmly led out.
Fortunately, Ms. Dati confirmed that no one sustained injuries during the incident.
The Louvre Museum announced its closure for the day, citing “a security measure and to preserve traces and clues for the investigation.”
Police and military personnel quickly arrived at the scene. Authorities are meticulously examining evidence left behind by the thieves and reviewing security camera footage.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation, with officials currently working to determine “the extent of the losses.”
Once a royal palace, the Louvre stands as the world’s largest museum, housing over 33,000 works of art, including countless sculptures, paintings, and antiques, across its vast wings and courtyards. It attracts up to 30,000 visitors daily. The sheer volume of people, particularly around the Mona Lisa, led President Emmanuel Macron of France to announce earlier this year that a dedicated room and entrance would be constructed solely for the iconic painting.
This incident is part of a recent surge in museum robberies across France. Just last week, four men were apprehended after the President Jacques Chirac Museum in Corrèze was burgled by armed, masked individuals. Shockingly, the same museum was targeted a second time less than 48 hours later.
In September, the National Museum of Natural History, located near the Louvre, reported the theft of raw gold nuggets valued at approximately $700,000. That same month, two porcelain dishes and a vase, collectively worth about €9.5 million ($11 million), were stolen from the Adrien Dubouché museum in Limoges.
Arthur Brand, a 56-year-old Dutch art crime expert, expressed little surprise at the Louvre heist, given the recent trend. He commented that breaking into France’s most significant museum to steal jewels “is the ultimate art heist, it’s like something out of a movie.”
The Louvre itself has a history of high-profile thefts. In the summer of 1911, a museum employee, Vincenzo Peruggia, famously stole the Mona Lisa. He was eventually arrested two years later while attempting to sell the painting, which was subsequently returned.
Another incident occurred in 1976 when three burglars entered the Louvre at dawn by scaling metal scaffolding and smashing second-floor windows. They stole a 19th-century diamond-studded sword that belonged to King Charles X of France. In 1990, Pierre Auguste Renoir’s “Portrait of a Seated Woman” was cut from its frame and stolen from a third-floor gallery.
Museums across other European nations have also faced similar challenges in recent years.
In 2019, thieves infiltrated the Royal Palace museum in Dresden, Germany, making off with jewels valued at over 100 million euros (approximately $116 million). Much of the stolen loot was later recovered as part of a plea deal.
Mr. Nuñez assured the public on Sunday that security measures at the Louvre have been enhanced in recent years and will be further strengthened in light of the museum’s upcoming overhaul plans.
“But we can’t prevent everything,” he conceded to France Inter.
Jenny Gross and Ségolène Le Stradic provided additional reporting for this article.