It was over in a mere eight minutes.
On a bustling Sunday, as tourists wandered through its hallowed halls, a group of thieves executed a lightning-fast raid on the Louvre Museum. Their prize: a collection of jewelry so precious its value is immeasurable.
Our team has been investigating this audacious act, deemed one of the most dramatic heists of the century. We’ve uncovered details on how the thieves meticulously planned and executed their scheme, their motivations, and the historical context for such a bold crime. Here’s everything we’ve learned.
The Heist: A Masterclass in Audacity
Their tools of choice included a truck, an extendable ladder, a powerful disc cutter, and a pair of high-speed scooters.
Image credit: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
At precisely 9:30 a.m., a truck pulled up beneath the windows of the Apollo Gallery. From its rear, an electric ladder – a ‘monte-meubles,’ a sight surprisingly common on Parisian streets for moving large furniture through upper-floor windows – extended upwards. This seemingly mundane equipment proved crucial to their plan.
With the disc cutter, they precisely carved through the gallery’s glass, triggering an immediate security alarm. Confronting museum guards with the same tool, they swiftly shattered two display cases as Louvre staff scrambled to evacuate startled visitors.
Their stolen treasures included a magnificent royal sapphire necklace, a dazzling royal emerald necklace, and the exquisite diadem once gracing Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The full list of items stolen is truly astonishing.
By 9:38 a.m., the thieves had made their escape, disappearing into the Parisian streets on two waiting high-powered scooters.
The Motive: Not Art, But Raw Value
Image credit: Sources: Google Earth (basemap); Paris prosecutor. Samuel Granados/The New York Times
These weren’t thieves targeting priceless oil paintings. Their focus was exclusively on jewelry—tiaras, earrings, and necklaces. Experts believe their true desire was for the raw diamonds, precious stones, and metals. For instance, one tiara, formerly owned by Queen Hortense, boasted 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds. Such elements are far easier to liquidate; emeralds can be recut, and gold can be melted, effectively erasing their origin.
Image credit: Stephane De Sakutin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
As Vernon Rapley, a former head of London’s art squad, explained to my colleague Alex Marshall, this wasn’t an art crime in the traditional sense; it was a sophisticated act of “commodity theft.”
Unlike art thieves, those seeking commodities are less concerned with the historical or artistic integrity of their haul. The Louvre culprits notably bypassed highly recognizable items such as the Regent and Sancy diamonds, which would be exceedingly difficult to sell, even if fragmented.
The incident has inevitably sparked scrutiny over the Louvre’s security measures. Museum labor unions have publicly stated they had previously raised concerns about persistent technical and staffing shortages, especially within the security teams.
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A History of Daring Museum Heists
You might be surprised at just how often such bold acts occur!
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National Museum, Oslo, 1994: In a precursor to the Louvre incident, two men used a ladder to break through a window, snatching Edvard Munch’s iconic painting, “The Scream,” in under a minute. Their parting message? A sarcastically appreciative note: “A thousand thanks for your poor security.”
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Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2000: On New Year’s Eve, a mysterious thief descended through a skylight, filled the gallery with smoke, and vanished with Cézanne’s “View of Auvers-sur-Oise.” The painting has never been recovered.
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Bode Museum, Berlin, 2017: A massive gold coin, valued at several million euros, was brazenly rolled out of the museum in a wheelbarrow by thieves.
THE INTERNET’S FRAGILE FOUNDATION: A RECENT GLOBAL OUTAGE
Image credit: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
Just yesterday morning, a widespread digital disruption left countless people worldwide unable to check into flights, stream entertainment, transfer funds, play popular games, or even, crucially, read The Times (we might be biased!). Our own publishing systems ground to a halt, forcing one of my London colleagues, Claire, to travel to another’s home just to send Monday’s newsletter.
The modern internet, it seems, doesn’t need much encouragement to stumble. This time, the culprit was a glitch at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the planet’s largest cloud provider, originating from a data center in Northern Virginia. In an age where most businesses outsource their server management to giants like Amazon, AWS has become the indispensable backbone for over a third of the world’s 100,000 busiest websites.
This recent disruption marked the largest digital services outage since last summer, when a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike brought air travel to a standstill and closed businesses for days. The repercussions weren’t confined to the tech sector; travelers missed flights, retailers lost sales, and emergency services were unreachable. The economic toll on companies was in the billions.
Such widespread meltdowns are a stark reminder of the internet’s ever-growing interconnectedness. Thousands of businesses rely on identical third-party software, like CrowdStrike, and entrust their data to the same massive cloud providers, such as AWS. As Mehdi Daoudi, founder of Catchpoint, a web-monitoring company, aptly puts it, “People have been putting more and more of their eggs in the same basket.”
With infrastructure concentrated among just a few big players, seemingly prioritizing profit over robust security, users are vulnerable. A single failure, in one location, has the potential to cripple vast swathes of the global economy. — Evan Gorelick
BREAKING STORIES
Military Deployments Under Scrutiny
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A federal appeals court has temporarily cleared the way for President Trump to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to an ICE center in Portland, with further legal challenges anticipated.
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In Chicago, a judge has pressed officials for answers regarding potential violations of a court order concerning the use of tear gas during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
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David Sanger, our White House and national security correspondent, discusses how President Trump is fundamentally altering the deployment and role of the American military.
Image of David Sanger, a Times reporter, speaking about Pete Hegseth and the Department of War.
Government Shutdown Update
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The Transportation Secretary has warned that air traffic controllers could face unpaid work next week if the government shutdown persists.
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In a move mirroring a past Trump administration tactic, several states led by Democratic governors are now using official websites to lay blame for the ongoing government shutdown squarely on Republicans.
Political Landscape
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The East Wing’s facade has begun to crumble as construction commences on Trump’s colossal new ballroom. This 90,000-square-foot addition will drastically alter one of the world’s most iconic buildings, almost doubling its existing footprint.
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The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments challenging a federal law that prohibits drug users and addicts from possessing firearms.
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The United States and Australia have finalized an agreement granting the U.S. access to Australia’s critical rare earth minerals. This development comes after China, the dominant global supplier, recently restricted its own exports.
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The administration’s offer to provide increased federal funding to universities willing to align with Trump’s priorities has been largely rejected, with almost all institutions declining the compact.
Middle East Developments
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Vice President JD Vance is en route to Israel as the Trump administration works to solidify the delicate cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
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American officials have voiced growing concerns that Benjamin Netanyahu might undermine the Gaza cease-fire agreement.
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an aid distribution initiative managed by U.S. security contractors, has suspended its activities. The Gaza health ministry reported that hundreds of Palestinians had died since May while attempting to collect aid from the group.
Business & Economy Highlights
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Internal documents reveal Amazon’s ambitious plan to automate 75 percent of its operations, potentially displacing over half a million jobs with robots.
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The global expansion of AI data centers by tech giants is causing significant disruption, leading to blackouts and water shortages in vulnerable communities.
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An increasing number of Americans are finding it difficult to keep up with monthly car payments, signaling escalating financial strain on lower-income consumers.
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Disney+ and Hulu experienced subscriber cancellations at more than double their normal rate last month, following Disney’s brief removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the air.
Around the World
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Yesterday, India and its diaspora worldwide celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. However, in New Delhi, the festivities also marked the onset of the annual pollution season.
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Japan is poised to welcome its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, known for her unique blend of heavy metal drumming and hard-line conservative politics.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING OPINIONS
Image credit: Illustration by The New York Times
Jake Halpern recounts the poignant story of Mateo, a 17-year-old whose family fled gangs and kidnappers in Honduras, now facing new challenges as America’s immigration policies continue to evolve.
Don’t miss columns by Michelle Goldberg on the phenomenon of Trump’s trolling, and by Thomas Edsall, who analyzes the Democratic candidates vying for governorships.
MORNING ESSENTIALS
Image credit: Emily Hlaváč Green
Feast your eyes: Discover New York’s absolute finest pastries.
Travel tips: Marie Kondo, the renowned tidying expert, shares her invaluable advice on efficient suitcase packing.
Stargazing: Get ready for tonight’s peak of the Orionids meteor shower.
Prodigy: Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who famously achieved the U.S. No. 1 ranking at just nine years old, has passed away at 29. In 2022, he created ‘Chess Replay,’ an interactive puzzle for The Times that immersed players in historical matches.
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
M.L.B.: The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to clash with the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, following Toronto’s decisive victory over the Seattle Mariners. The highly anticipated series kicks off on Friday.
N.F.L.: Former running back Doug Martin tragically died in police custody in California over the weekend at the age of 36. His family reported seeking medical and official assistance prior to his death.
Soccer: A joint bid to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup has been announced by the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.
REDEFINING HISTORICAL MONUMENTS THROUGH ART
Image credit: Aleksey Kondratyev for The New York Times
For the past decade, a heated debate has surrounded the removal of Confederate memorials from public spaces. Should they be preserved for historical study, or relegated to a junkyard? A groundbreaking art exhibition in Los Angeles, ‘Monuments,’ proposes an innovative third path: allowing artists to reclaim these materials as their legacy and transform them as they see fit.
Central to the exhibition is Kara Walker’s ‘Unmanned Drone,’ a striking piece crafted from the former monument of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson from Charlottesville, Virginia. Walker has fused Jackson and his horse into a towering 13-foot ‘American centaur,’ a creation our art critic Jason Farago describes as ‘American in its bones and in its burdens.’
(See more from this thought-provoking exhibition.)
Cultural Insights
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An Apple TV series delves into the mysterious process behind awarding Michelin stars, highlighting their immense power to shape—or shatter—a restaurant’s financial future.
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Late-night hosts recently chimed in on the ongoing “No Kings” protests.
THE MORNING’S TOP PICKS
Image credit: Julia Gartland for The New York Times
Simmer tender chicken in a rich, aromatic coconut curry.
Read through the compelling letters of literary giant John Updike.
Soak up the breathtaking fall foliage on these recommended Western road trips.
DAILY PUZZLES & GAMES
Image of today’s Spelling Bee puzzle.
Challenge yourself with today’s Spelling Bee. If you played yesterday, you might recall the pangrams: unheeding and unhinged.
Also available are today’s Mini Crossword, the ever-popular Wordle, the intriguing Connections, a special Sports Connections puzzle, and the latest edition of Strands.
Thank you for starting your morning with The Times. We look forward to connecting with you again tomorrow. To receive this newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up now. You can always reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.