Thieves used a crane to break into the Louvre museum on Sunday, smashing an upstairs window to gain entry to the Galerie d’Apollon and stealing priceless jewellery from the display that houses France’s crown jewels, the French government said. The raiders then fled on motorbikes, officials added.
The break-in
The Interior Ministry said the raid occurred at about 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), after the museum had opened to the public. Culture Minister Rachida Dati told TF1 the robbery took roughly four minutes and was executed by professionals. “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,” she said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said three or four people had used a crane mounted on a truck to access the building, broke a window, and headed to several display cases to steal jewels “which have a real historical, priceless value.” One piece of jewellery was later recovered outside the museum, apparently dropped during the perpetrators’ escape, Dati said. She declined to identify the item; the French newspaper Le Parisien reported that it was believed to be the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, and said the jewel was broken.
Investigation under way
A specialised police unit with experience in high-profile art thefts has opened an inquiry, Nunez said. Video shared on social media by a museum guide showed visitors being shepherded toward exits during the disruption, initially unaware of the reason for the evacuation. No injuries were reported, Dati added.
Security questions and context
The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of security at the Louvre, which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024. Museum officials earlier this year had appealed to the government for urgent funding to renovate ageing exhibition spaces and to bolster protection for its collections. Dati noted that museum security has been underfunded for decades and warned that museums must adapt to “new forms of crime” that increasingly involve organised and professional offenders.
The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the world’s most-visited museum, announced on X that it would remain closed for the day “for exceptional reasons.” The museum has previously been the target of daring thefts, most famously the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa, which was recovered two years later.
