Four masked thieves used a crane truck and angle grinders to break into the Louvre’s Apollon gallery during museum hours, stealing eight Napoleonic-era jewels in under 10 minutes. One crown was dropped during their escape.
PARIS: The Louvre Museum, the world’s most-visited cultural institution, suffered a shocking daylight robbery on October 19, when a group of four masked thieves pulled off a cinematic heist at the Galerie d’Apollon, home to France’s crown jewels.
The suspects arrived at 9:30 a.m. — just 30 minutes after the museum opened — in a truck fitted with a crane and basket lift, parking along the Seine River on the museum’s south side. Using an extendable ladder, they accessed a second-floor balcony, smashed their way in with angle grinders, and stormed the gallery.
In under 10 minutes, the thieves shattered display cases, grabbed eight high-value Napoleonic-era jewels, and fled on motorbikes, leaving chaos in their wake. During the hurried exit, they dropped a priceless crown that once belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Among the stolen items:
- A tiara
- A sapphire necklace from Queen Marie-Amélie
- Earrings and jewels from Queen Hortense
- Pieces from the Marie-Louise set
Notably, the Regent diamond, valued at over $60 million, was left behind.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described it as “the work of an experienced team who had clearly scouted the location.” The Apollon gallery, built in 1661, is richly decorated and inspired the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles — but evidently lacked uniform security measures.
President Emmanuel Macron vowed that “France will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” while political opponents seized the moment to criticise national security.
A Louvre visitor summed up public sentiment: “How can they ride a lift to a window and take jewels in the middle of the day? It’s just unbelievable.”
The museum remains closed while investigations continue, with experts raising questions about security disparities in the protection of the Louvre’s 33,000+ objects.
-Agencies
