Professional thieves struck the Louvre on Sunday morning, making off with priceless jewels that once belonged to Emperor Napoleon in a brazen daylight robbery in Paris.
Using an aerial lift and an angle grinder, the robbers broke in through a window of the iconic museum and escaped with nine pieces of jewelry, according to Le Parisien.
Members of a forensic team inspected the broken window after the heist.
The gang was in and out in just ten minutes — between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m., according to Le Monde.
The museum was evacuated and temporarily closed as police swarmed the area, causing panic among some tourists.
Stolen items included a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara, though their exact value has yet to be determined.
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Forensic teams are now working to compile a detailed inventory of the stolen items, the French government said.
Video shared by French outlet BFMTV shows one of the suspected thieves using a miniature chainsaw to cut through a glass case protecting one of the artifacts.
Among the stolen treasures, a crown believed to have belonged to Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugénie, was later found damaged outside the gallery, according to Le Parisien.
“Beyond their market value, the items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” the French Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Portrait of Eugénie de Montijo (1826–1920).
The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, is the world’s most visited museum, attracting nearly nine million visitors in 2024 and regularly welcoming more than 30,000 guests a day.
In June, the museum was temporarily closed after a mass staff walkout, with workers citing overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions have warned that the pressures of mass tourism are putting security at risk.
The iconic Louvre Museum in Paris closed its doors on Sunday following a daring theft, France’s culture minister confirmed.
The news has sparked outrage in the country, with conservatives calling the incident a national “humiliation.” Jordan Bardella, a politician with the right-wing National Rally Party, wrote on X:
“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the state go?”
Three masked thieves carried out the raid in the Apollon Gallery on the museum’s second floor, overlooking the River Seine. Construction work was ongoing in the area at the time. The robbers, hooded and equipped with small chainsaws, targeted the Crown Jewels of France, according to Le Parisien.
One of the thieves waited outside while the others carried out the heist. The group escaped on two scooters, heading southeast out of Paris toward the A6 highway, as captured by surveillance footage. A third scooter was later found abandoned, a police source told AFP.
The Apollon Gallery also houses a hardstone vessel collection that belonged to King Louis XIV, as well as the famous Regent diamond, weighing more than 140 carats.
No injuries were reported, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said. Police quickly swarmed the gallery after the robbery, prompting panic among visitors.
Empress Eugénie’s crown was reportedly stolen and damaged during the robbery.
“The police were running near the pyramid and trying to enter the Louvre through the side glass doors, but they were locked and impossible to open,” visitor Kacie told Le Parisien.
Authorities fear the thieves may melt down the jewelry to sell the gold, making the pieces difficult to trace, insiders said.
“The risk is that some of the diamonds could be sold at retail, which would make reconstituting the jewels very difficult,” a source close to the investigation told Le Parisien.
Officials described the stolen jewels as having “inestimable value,” underscoring their historical and cultural significance.
The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies.
“All means are already being implemented to recover the loot,” Paris police headquarters told Le Monde.
The gallery announced it would remain closed on Sunday for “exceptional reasons.”
The heist comes just weeks after thieves stole several gold nuggets worth around $700,000 from Paris’ Natural History Museum. In September, robbers also raided a leading porcelain museum in Limoges, central France, causing damages estimated at more than $7 million.
“Organized crime today is targeting art objects,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati said, adding that “museums have become targets.”
