Thieves forced their way into the Louvre museum in Paris before making their escape on motorbikes, French officials disclosed on Sunday.
Laurent Nuñez described the incident as a “major robbery” that “lasted seven minutes.” Speaking to France Inter, he stated that the culprits “gained entry from the outside using a basket lift” and employed “a disc cutter” to sever the glass panels housing precious jewels.
“The investigation has commenced, and a comprehensive inventory of the stolen items is being compiled,” the ministry affirmed in a statement. “Beyond their monetary worth, these pieces possess invaluable heritage and historical significance.”
The museum announced on X that it would remain closed for the day due to “exceptional reasons,” though it did not immediately elaborate. No injuries were reported.
According to the French daily Le Parisien, the thieves entered through a section of the museum undergoing construction along the Seine River.
The group reportedly utilized a freight elevator to access a room within the Apollo Gallery, which contains part of the .
The newspaper reported that the crew stole “nine items from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress,” including a crown believed to have belonged to Empress Eugénie. The report added that the crown was later discovered broken outside the museum.
The Louvre is home to over 33,000 works encompassing antiquities, sculpture, and painting – from Mesopotamian artifacts and Egyptian relics to masterpieces by European artists. Its celebrated treasures include the , the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.