In a brazen daylight operation on Sunday, thieves successfully stole jewelry of “incalculable” value from the Louvre Museum in Paris, as confirmed by France’s interior minister.
The audacious heist unfolded around 9:30 a.m. Laurent Nuñez, the interior minister, explained on France Inter radio that the criminals utilized a truck’s lift mechanism—typically used for maneuvering furniture through high windows in Parisian apartments—to breach the museum’s second-floor Galerie d’Apollon.
This magnificent gilded hall within the Louvre houses the royal collection of gems and the French crown diamonds, featuring renowned pieces such as “The Regent,” “The Sancy,” and the “Hortensia.” According to Mr. Nuñez, the thieves swiftly broke into two display cases, snatched the precious jewels, and escaped on motor scooters, all within a mere seven minutes. While he refrained from detailing every item stolen, he underscored their “patrimonial” and “historical” significance, declaring them “priceless.”
“It’s a major robbery,” Mr. Nuñez stated, adding that investigators believe three to four highly experienced criminals were involved, a conclusion drawn from the precision and speed of the operation.
In a twist, the robbers inadvertently dropped one valuable piece during their escape, which was later retrieved. Rachida Dati, the French culture minister, informed local television that the recovered item was reportedly the crown worn by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. According to the museum’s website, this crown is adorned with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds.
Visitors were already present in the building during the robbery. Joseph Sanchez, a tourist from Puerto Rico, described initial panic among some, who feared a terrorist attack or a fire while waiting to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Security guards quickly ordered an evacuation of the room, and visitors were held in the museum’s lobby for over an hour before being calmly led out, Mr. Sanchez recounted.
Ms. Dati confirmed that no one suffered injuries during the incident. The Louvre promptly closed for the remainder of the day, citing “a security measure and to preserve traces and clues for the investigation” in a public statement.
Police and army units swiftly arrived on the scene. Authorities are now meticulously sifting through evidence, including objects abandoned by the thieves and extensive security camera footage.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation, stating that “the extent of the losses is currently being assessed.”
As a former royal palace, the Louvre stands as the world’s largest museum, boasting over 33,000 works of art, including numerous sculptures, paintings, and antiques. It attracts up to 30,000 daily visitors, with crowds often so dense around the Mona Lisa that French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans earlier this year for a dedicated room and entrance specifically for that masterpiece.
This incident is the latest in a troubling series of museum robberies across France. Last week, four men were apprehended after the President Jacques Chirac Museum in Corrèze was burgled by armed, masked individuals. Astonishingly, the same museum was targeted a second time less than 48 hours later, according to reports from the French press.
In September, a staggering $700,000 worth of raw gold nuggets were stolen from the National Museum of Natural History, located just a few blocks from the Louvre. During that same month, two porcelain dishes and a vase, collectively valued at approximately €9.5 million ($11 million), were taken from the Adrien Dubouché museum in Limoges.
Arthur Brand, a 56-year-old Dutch art crime expert, expressed little surprise at the Louvre heist, noting the recent surge in such incidents. He commented that breaking into France’s most prestigious museum to steal jewels is “the ultimate art heist, it’s like something out of a movie.”
The Louvre itself has a storied history of dramatic thefts. In the summer of 1911, a museum employee famously stole the Mona Lisa. The painting was recovered two years later when the culprit, Vincenzo Peruggia, attempted to sell it, leading to its triumphant return to the museum.
Other notable incidents include a 1976 burglary where three individuals scaled scaffolding and smashed windows on the second floor at dawn, making off with a 19th-century diamond-studded sword belonging to King Charles X. 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 looted over 100 million euros’ worth of jewels (approximately $116 million) from the Royal Palace museum in Dresden, Germany; most of these valuables were later recovered as part of a plea deal.
Mr. Nuñez reiterated on Sunday that while security at the Louvre has significantly increased in recent years and will be further strengthened with planned museum overhauls, “we can’t prevent everything.”
Jenny Gross contributed reporting from London, and Ségolène Le Stradic from Paris.