Louvre Heist: Thieves Make Off with Priceless Jewellery in 7-Minute Raid

Strategic Insights -

Highly organised thieves struck the Louvre museum in Paris on [no specific date mentioned] in a daring seven-minute heist, making off with nine priceless items, including a neckpiece adorned with thousands of diamonds and emeralds. The gang, wearing helmets and hi-viz yellow jackets, posed as workmen to gain entry to the museum and used a flat-bed truck to access a window in the Apollo Gallery. Once inside, they used a chainsaw to hack into two display cases, snatching several historic pieces, including a tiara, an emerald necklace, and a brooch. The stolen items dated back to the 17th century and included pieces that once belonged to Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte. The gang escaped on high-powered Yamaha TMAX scooters, leaving behind a broken crown that was later recovered.

Key Takeaways:

  • The thieves used a highly organised plan to gain entry to the museum and steal the priceless items, targeting a wing of the museum near the River Seine where construction work was taking place.
  • The gang of three or four thieves posed as workmen to gain entry to the museum, using a flat-bed truck with an extendable ladder to access a window in the Apollo Gallery.
  • The thieves used a disc-cutter to cut open the window and then a mini-chainsaw to hack into two display cases, where they snatched nine historic pieces, including a tiara, an emerald necklace, and a brooch.
  • The stolen items dated back to the 17th century and included pieces that once belonged to Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte.
  • The thieves escaped on high-powered Yamaha TMAX scooters, leaving behind a broken crown that was later recovered.
  • French Interior Minister Laurent Nu?ez confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the theft and described the gang as "highly organised criminals".
  • The recovery of the stolen items is difficult due to their high profile and the thieves may have been from overseas.

Statistics:

  • The Louvre museum welcomed nearly nine million visitors last year, 80 per cent of whom were foreigners.
  • The museum contains 33,000 works of art, including sculptures and paintings.
  • The stolen crown dated from 1855 and was made for Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie.
  • The gems encrusted on the crown were valued as "several tens of millions of euros".

Sources:

  • alexander.diaz@thesun.co.uk 1 9.00am ARRIVAL HOW RAID PARIS
  • French Interior Minister Laurent Nu?ez
  • French Culture Ministry