A group of professional thieves executed a brazen daylight robbery at the world-famous Louvre Museum on Sunday, using a crane-mounted truck to smash through an upstairs window and steal priceless jewelry from the French crown jewels collection. The audacious heist took place at approximately 9:30 AM local time while the museum was already open to the public, with the criminals making their escape on motorcycles after completing the operation in just four minutes.
The thieves targeted the Galerie d'Apollon building, which houses France's historic crown jewels collection, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry. The perpetrators demonstrated remarkable professionalism throughout the operation, using a crane positioned on a truck to access an upper-level window of the museum. Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the robbery as highly sophisticated, telling TF1 television that surveillance footage showed the criminals working with calculated precision.
"We saw some footage: they don't target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave. No violence, very professional," Dati explained during her television interview. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that three or four thieves participated in the heist, breaking through the window before heading directly to specific display cases containing jewels of "real historical, priceless value."
During their hasty escape, one piece of jewelry was apparently dropped outside the museum and subsequently recovered by authorities. While Minister Dati declined to specify which item was found, the French newspaper Le Parisien reported that it was believed to be the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The recovered crown sustained damage during the incident, according to the newspaper's report.
The robbery has raised serious concerns about security measures at the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024 and serves as home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Museum officials had previously expressed alarm about insufficient investment in security infrastructure at the globally renowned cultural site. A video posted on social media by a museum guide captured visitors being evacuated during their tours, initially unaware of the reason for the sudden disruption.
This incident echoes one of history's most famous art thefts, when the Mona Lisa itself was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by a former museum employee. That masterpiece was eventually recovered and returned to the museum two years later after the perpetrator was caught. The current robbery has prompted authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation, with a specialized police unit known for its high success rate in solving high-profile art crimes taking charge of the case.
Earlier this year, Louvre officials had formally requested urgent assistance from the French government to restore and renovate the museum's aging exhibition halls while improving protection for its countless invaluable artworks. Minister Dati acknowledged that museum security issues are not new, revealing that the museum's president had requested a security audit from police two years ago in response to evolving criminal threats.
"For 40 years, there was little focus on securing these major museums," Dati stated. "Museums must adapt to new forms of crime. Today, it's organized crime - professionals." The Louvre announced it would remain closed for the remainder of the day citing "exceptional reasons," while police cordoned off entrances to the facility. No injuries were reported during the incident, and authorities have launched a full-scale investigation into what represents one of the most daring museum heists in recent history.
