Louvre Museum Robbery: Thieves Steal Priceless Jewels in 7 Minutes

A daring heist took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, with thieves stealing priceless jewels from the Napoleon collection in just seven minutes. The robbers entered through an area under construction, cutting the window and making their escape on two-wheelers. The incident has raised concerns about the museum's security measures.

Key Takeaways:

• The thieves entered the Louvre through the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to gain direct access to the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery.
• The robbers cut the windows with a floppy disk, stole jewels from vitrines, and fled on two-wheelers in just seven minutes.
• Several pieces of jewellery were stolen from the Napoleon collection, including nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress, with one stolen jewel later found outside the museum.
• The investigation suggests that the stolen jewel was Empress Eugenie's crown, which had been broken.
• The Galerie d'Apollon, where the robbery took place, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels.
• The museum has seen several attempted robberies in the past, with the most famous being the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.
• The museum was closed for the day after the robbery, citing "exceptional reasons," with the police sealing off the museum and evacuating visitors.

Statistics:

• The heist took 7 minutes to complete.
• The thieves stole several pieces of jewellery from the Napoleon collection, including nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress.
• 1 stolen jewel was later found outside the museum.
• The investigation suggests that the stolen jewel was Empress Eugenie's crown.

Sources:

• France's cultural minister, Rachida Dati, via X.
• France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
• Le Parisian.
• Hindustan Times.