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An immediate manhunt began in Paris for an organised crime group that stole eight priceless royal jewellery items from the Louvre Museum’s Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on Sunday morning.
The brazen theft, which officials stated was highly planned, was carried out in just seven minutes.
The thieves accessed the gallery between 9:30 and 9:40 am using a furniture hoist (extendable ladder truck) to reach a window, which they breached with cutting equipment.
The intervention of museum staff ultimately forced the professional, possibly foreign, team to abandon some gear as they fled.
The stolen treasures, which are described as impossible to sell in their current state, included an emerald-and-diamond necklace once owned by Empress Marie-Louise and diadems that belonged to France’s last queen, Marie-Amelie, and Empress Eugenie (the latter was damaged when dropped by the thieves).
The robbery—the first from the Louvre since 1998—immediately ignited a major political row over security failures at French museums.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin admitted to “security flaws,” calling the incident a major failure that gave France a “terrible image.”
The event prompted angry reactions from political opponents who termed it a national “humiliation,” while President Emmanuel Macron promised all necessary action to catch the thieves and recover the stolen items.
