French investigators have uncovered a major breakthrough in the spectacular Louvre Museum heist case, where thieves made off with priceless jewels from the world-famous art museum in Paris. According to reports from French newspaper Le Parisien, a man has come forward to police claiming he recognized the lift platform used by the burglars to access the Gallery of Apollo, where invaluable jewels belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte, King Louis-Philippe I, and Napoleon III were on display.
The owner of the lift platform, a man from northern Paris, told police that he had advertised the equipment for sale on an internet marketplace. Several individuals subsequently arranged to meet with him for a potential purchase. However, the meeting turned out to be a trap – the men assaulted him and fled with the vehicle. The newspaper report did not specify exactly when this incident occurred.
Police have discovered additional evidence in their investigation, including a motorcycle helmet and glove found in the platform's basket. The perpetrators used two powerful scooters – Yamaha TMax models – for their escape. They burned at least one of the scooters after their getaway to destroy evidence and cover their tracks.
The case has now been assigned to the Brigade de répression du banditisme (BRB), France's specialized anti-banditry unit known for its exceptionally high case clearance rate. Investigators continue to gather mounting evidence against the Louvre robbers as the investigation progresses.
According to police reports, four robbers were directly involved in executing this elaborate heist. The criminals disguised themselves as construction workers, complete with yellow safety vests, and used the stolen lift platform to reach the windows of the Gallery of Apollo. From the platform's basket, they smashed through the gallery windows and forcibly opened the display cases, grabbing jewels of immeasurable historical and monetary value.
Witnesses reported that the thieves threatened security guards with angle grinders during the robbery. During their hasty escape, the robbers dropped the crown of Empress Eugénie and left behind their burglary tools. The small truck carrying the lift platform was later removed by police as evidence.
This brazen daylight robbery has been described as a "century-scale coup" reminiscent of a Hollywood heist film. The theft targeted some of France's most precious historical artifacts, representing an irreplaceable loss to the nation's cultural heritage. French authorities are treating this as one of the most significant art thefts in recent history and are dedicating substantial resources to tracking down the perpetrators and recovering the stolen treasures.
