Louvre Museum Heist: Thieves Steal Priceless Jewels, INTERPOL Launches Investigation

On Sunday, 19 October 2025, thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris, stealing nine valuable items of jewelry that date back to France's 19th-century royalty. The thieves, who used a mechanical ladder to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon, cut through display cases and escaped with the items, which are encrusted with thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones. A crown belonging to Empress Eugenie of France was recovered from the scene, but eight other items remain missing. INTERPOL has added the stolen jewels to its Stolen Works of Art database and published a special edition poster alerting its membership to the theft.

Key Takeaways:

• Thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, 19 October 2025, stealing nine valuable items of jewelry that date back to France's 19th-century royalty.
• The thieves used a mechanical ladder mounted on a vehicle to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon and cut through display cases to escape with the items.
• The stolen items are encrusted with thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones, including a crown previously belonging to Empress Eugenie of France.
• Eight other items remain missing, and INTERPOL has added the stolen jewels to its Stolen Works of Art database.
• The INTERPOL database combines descriptions and pictures of over 57,000 items from around the world and is the only international database with certified police information on stolen and missing objects of art.
• A special edition poster has been published to alert INTERPOL members to the theft, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact INTERPOL.

Statistics:

• 9 items of jewelry stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
• 8 items remain missing.
• Thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones encrusted on the stolen items.
• The INTERPOL Stolen Works of Art database contains over 57,000 items from around the world.
• The stolen items date back to France's 19th-century royalty.

Sources:

• "Louvre Museum Heist: Thieves Steal Priceless Jewels, INTERPOL Launches Investigation." MIL-OSI Publisher Source: Interpol (news and events), 21 October 2025.