Professional thieves carried out a brazen robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, stealing jewelry worth “incalculable” value, including pieces that once belonged to Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, according to French officials and a French official. new york times Report.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France Inter Milan The thieves, who banged the radio around 9:30 a.m., used a cherry picker and an angle grinder to break the windows of the Galerie d’Apollon, the grand first-floor gallery that houses France’s crown jewels. The gang smashed open two display cases and fled on motorcycles within minutes.
Both parisian and Le Monde Reports said the robbery lasted seven to 10 minutes.
The robbers, believed to be three masked men, reportedly used “small chainsaws” to break the windows. parisian. CCTV footage reportedly showed them fleeing toward the A6 motorway, which runs southeast of Paris. A third scooter was later found abandoned.
According to reports, the nine items stolen included a necklace, a brooch and a crown believed to belong to Empress Eugenie. A damaged crown, believed to be hers, was found outside the gallery. “These items have immeasurable heritage and historical value, in addition to their market value,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Forensic teams are currently compiling a list of stolen items. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that an investigation had been launched and “the extent of the damage is currently being assessed.” Police are reviewing footage and items abandoned by the thieves.
Police told reporters that no one was injured in the attack and “all means are being taken to recover the stolen goods.” The Louvre said it remained closed Sunday “to preserve traces and clues of the investigation.”
The robbery sparked political outrage. Jordan Bardella, president of the right-wing National Rally party, called the theft an “intolerable shame for our country”, adding on social media platform X: “The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. How far will national decay go?”
The incident comes amid growing security concerns at France’s most visited museum. In June, Louvre staff went on strike over overcrowding and chronic understaffing, and unions warned that mass tourism was jeopardizing safety.
The Galerie d’Apollon overlooks the Seine and houses treasures once owned by Louis XIV, including the 140-carat Regent diamond. The Louvre – the home of Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa— Attracts nearly 9 million visitors annually, with up to 30,000 visitors per day.
France has faced a wave of museum thefts in recent months. In September, thieves stole $700,000 worth of gold nuggets from the Museum of Natural History in Paris, while a robbery at a porcelain museum in Limoges caused an estimated $7 million in damage. “Organized crime today targets works of art,” said French Culture Minister Rachida Dati. “Museums have been targeted.”
