It took just eight minutes.
Thieves broke into the Louvre on Sunday while tourists were perusing art. They made off with jewelry said to be of incalculable worth.
Our team has been reporting on one of the most dramatic heists this century — how thieves pulled it off, why they did it, and what precedents exist for this kind of brazen burglary. Here’s what we know.
How They Did It
With a truck, a ladder, a disc cutter, and some scooters.
At 9:30 a.m., the thieves parked a truck beneath the windows of the Apollo Gallery. They then ascended using an electric ladder from the back of the truck. (This truck-mounted ladder—a monte-meubles—might seem unusual to some, but it’s a common sight on the streets of Paris, often used to lift bulky furniture through apartment windows.)
To breach the gallery, they expertly carved the glass with the disc cutter, triggering the security alarm. They confronted guards with the cutter and shattered two display cases while the Louvre’s staff evacuated the museum.
The robbers seized a royal sapphire necklace, a royal emerald necklace, and a diadem once worn by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. The entire haul was substantial.
By 9:38 a.m., the thieves had mounted two high-powered scooters waiting for them outside and swiftly departed.
Why They Did It
The thieves were not interested in famous oil paintings. Their target was exclusively jewelry—tiaras, earrings, and necklaces. Experts believe this indicates a desire for diamonds, other precious stones, and metals. For instance, one tiara, formerly belonging to Queen Hortense, was adorned with 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds. These items are generally easier to offload; emeralds can be reset, and gold can be melted down.
In this sense, the Louvre heist was less about art crime and more about “commodity theft,” according to Vernon Rapley, a former head of the London police force’s art squad. These types of thieves aren’t concerned with leaving behind valuable pieces. The Louvre robbers ignored high-profile, easily identifiable pieces like the Regent and Sancy diamonds, which would be exceedingly difficult to resell, even broken up.
The robbery has sparked concerns about the Louvre’s security measures. Labor unions at the museum had reportedly warned about existing technical and staffing issues, especially concerning security personnel.
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Is This Common?
It happens more often than you might think!
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National Museum, Oslo, 1994: Similar to the Louvre incident, two men used a ladder to break a window and steal Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. It took them less than a minute, and they left a note: “A thousand thanks for your poor security.”
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Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2000: On New Year’s Eve, a thief (or thieves) descended through a skylight, filled the gallery with smoke, and made off with Cézanne’s “View of Auvers-sur-Oise.” The painting has never been recovered.
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Bode Museum, Berlin, 2017: Thieves stole a massive gold coin, valued at several million euros, by rolling it out in a wheelbarrow.
CLOUD COVER
Early yesterday morning, people worldwide faced disruptions trying to check in for flights, stream Hulu, transfer money, play Fortnite, order McMuffins, and crucially, read The Times. (We’re unbiased, of course!) Our publishing software failed, and one of our London colleagues, Claire, had to journey to another colleague’s house just to send Monday’s newsletter.
It turns out, crashing the internet doesn’t take much these days. This particular incident was caused by a glitch at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s largest cloud provider, at a facility in Northern Virginia. Instead of managing their own servers, most businesses opt to pay cloud companies like Amazon. A significant portion of the modern internet relies heavily on AWS; it underpins over a third of the 100,000 busiest websites globally.
Yesterday’s disruption was the most significant digital-services outage since last summer, when a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike grounded planes and halted businesses for days. The repercussions extended beyond tech workers: travelers missed flights, retailers lost sales, and emergency services were sometimes inaccessible. Companies incurred billions in losses.
Such widespread meltdowns are a direct result of the internet’s increasing interconnectedness. Thousands of companies use the same third-party programs (like CrowdStrike) and entrust their data to the same few large cloud providers (like AWS). “People have been putting more and more of their eggs in the same basket,” noted Mehdi Daoudi, founder of web-monitoring company Catchpoint.
With infrastructure concentrated among a handful of major players who seemingly prioritize profit over security, users remain vulnerable. A single issue in one location can bring economic activity to a standstill. — Evan Gorelick
THE LATEST NEWS
Troop Deployments
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A federal appeals court temporarily allowed President Trump to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to guard an ICE center in Portland. Further legal action is anticipated.
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A judge in Chicago questioned officials regarding whether the government had violated a court order by using tear gas as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
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Trump is reshaping how presidents utilize the American military, explains David Sanger, who covers the White House and national security. Click below to watch.
Government Shutdown
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The transportation secretary announced that air traffic controllers should prepare for missed paychecks next week if the government shutdown persists.
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In a mirrored tactic of the Trump administration, some states with Democratic governors are publicly blaming Republicans for the shutdown on official websites.
More on Politics
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The East Wing’s facade collapsed as construction commenced on Trump’s ballroom. This 90,000-square-foot addition will transform one of the world’s most recognizable buildings, almost doubling its size.
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The Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging a federal law that prohibits drug users and addicts from possessing firearms.
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The U.S. and Australia signed an agreement granting the U.S. access to Australia’s rare earth minerals, a critical move after China, the primary global supplier, recently restricted exports.
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The administration offered increased federal funding to several universities if they aligned with Trump’s agenda. Nearly all have declined.
Middle East
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Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Israel as the Trump administration works to stabilize the precarious cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
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American officials expressed growing concern that Benjamin Netanyahu might undermine the Gaza cease-fire deal.
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an aid distribution initiative managed by U.S. security contractors, has halted its operations. According to the Gaza health ministry, hundreds of Palestinians have died since May while attempting to collect aid from the group.
Business
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Internal documents reveal Amazon’s plan to automate 75 percent of its operations, potentially eliminating over half a million jobs through robotics.
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As tech companies establish A.I. data centers globally, vulnerable communities are experiencing blackouts and water shortages.
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A growing number of Americans are struggling with monthly car payments, signaling financial strain among lower-income consumers.
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Disney+ and Hulu experienced more than double their usual cancellation rates last month after Disney briefly removed Jimmy Kimmel from the air.
Other Big Stories
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India and the Indian diaspora celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, yesterday. In New Delhi, it also marks the beginning of the pollution season.
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Japan is set to welcome its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, a heavy metal drummer and staunch conservative.
OPINIONS
Seventeen-year-old Mateo’s family fled gangs and kidnappers in Honduras. As America’s immigration landscape shifts, they’re on the run once again, Jake Halpern reports.
Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on Trump’s trolling and Thomas Edsall on Democrats’ candidates for governorships.
MORNING READS
Feast your eyes: These are the best pastries in New York.
Travel tips: Marie Kondo, the master of tidying up, has advice on how to pack a suitcase.
Stargazing: The Orionids meteor shower peaks tonight.
Prodigy: Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who was the No. 1-ranked player in the U.S. at age 9, has died at 29. In 2022, he created an interactive puzzle for The Times, called “Chess Replay,” which immersed players in historic matches.
SPORTS
M.L.B.: The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series after Toronto defeated the Seattle Mariners. The series commences on Friday.
N.F.L.: Former running back Doug Martin died in police custody in California this weekend at 36. His family stated they had sought medical and local authority assistance before his death.
Soccer: The U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica jointly announced their bid to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
HISTORY, RESHAPED
Over the past decade, as Confederate memorials were removed from states and cities, a fierce debate ensued: Should these statues be preserved for study, or consigned to a junkyard? “Monuments,” a blockbuster art exhibition in Los Angeles, offers a third perspective: allowing artists to claim them as their inheritance and repurpose the material as they see fit.
A central piece in the exhibition is Kara Walker’s “Unmanned Drone,” crafted from a monument of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson that once stood in Charlottesville, Va. Walker has merged Jackson and his horse into a 13-foot-tall monstrosity—an “American centaur,” as described by art critic Jason Farago, “American in its bones and in its burdens.”
More on Culture
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Michelin stars wield immense power over a restaurant’s finances. An Apple TV show delves into the secretive process behind their awarding.
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Late-night hosts discussed the “No Kings” protests.
THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …
Simmer chicken in coconut curry.
Read John Updike’s letters.
Soak up fall splendor on these Western road trips.
GAMES
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were unheeding and unhinged.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections, and Strands.
Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.
Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.