Louvre Heist: Thieves Steal Nine Pieces of Napoleon's Jewels in Seven-Minute Operation

Strategic Insights -

The Louvre museum in Paris was robbed on Sunday morning, with thieves making off with nine pieces from Napoleon's jewelry collection, including a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara. The operation lasted only seven minutes, with the thieves using a cherry picker to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon. The Regent Diamond, worth an estimated £48 million, was not stolen.

The thieves then fled the scene on a Yamaha TMax scooter, leaving behind Empress Eugenie's crown, which was found broken outside. The museum announced that it would remain closed on Sunday due to "exceptional reasons," without confirming the nature of the incident. The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, said that the investigation is ongoing and that everything is being done to ensure the perpetrators are caught quickly.

Key Takeaways:

  • The heist took place on Sunday morning at the Louvre museum in Paris.
  • The thieves stole nine pieces from Napoleon's jewelry collection, including a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara.
  • The Regent Diamond, worth an estimated £48 million, was not stolen.
  • The thieves used a cherry picker to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon and the entire operation lasted only seven minutes.
  • The thieves fled the scene on a Yamaha TMax scooter.
  • Empress Eugenie's crown was found broken outside the museum.
  • The museum announced that it would remain closed on Sunday due to "exceptional reasons."
  • Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez said that the investigation is ongoing and that everything is being done to ensure the perpetrators are caught quickly.
  • Four people are suspected to have been involved in the heist, with two of them posing as workers on the cherry picker.
  • The heist unfolded from 9.30am, with a basket lift used by the thieves being seen near the scene.

Statistics:

  • 9.30am: The heist unfolded on Sunday morning.
  • 7 minutes: The entire operation lasted only seven minutes.
  • £48 million: The estimated worth of the Regent Diamond.
  • 9: The number of pieces stolen from Napoleon's jewelry collection.
  • 2: The number of thieves who posed as workers on the cherry picker.
  • 4: The number of people suspected to have been involved in the heist.
  • 1: The number of tiaras stolen.
  • 1: The number of brooches stolen.

Sources:

  • Le Parisien
  • Le Parisien
  • Twitter, @MuseeLouvre, October 19, 2025
  • AFP
  • Getty Images, Kiran Ridley
  • Getty Images, Alexander Turnbull
  • Twitter, @MuseeLouvre, October 19, 2025
  • Le Figaro
  • Le Figaro
  • AFP