Paris’s Louvre Museum reopens after $102m jewel heist

Three days after a spectacular daytime robbery, the Louvre has since reopened its doors to visitors.

The most well-known museum in Paris will reopen on Wednesday just before its director is scheduled to be quizzed by French senators about how site thieves stole an estimated 88 million euros ($102m) in jewels.

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After two French museums were impacted by thefts last month, the heist has reopened security controls in them.

Numerous investigators are trying to identify the perpetrators, with the idea that it was an organized crime organization that climbed up a ladder to enter the museum.

Eight pieces, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, are dotted with nearly 2, 000 diamonds, were taken from the thieves. As they fled, the thieves dropped a crown decorated with diamonds.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated in the local media on Wednesday that “more than 100 investigators” had been mobilized and that “an investigation is progressing.”

According to a government spokeswoman, President Emmanuel Macron “sped up” the Louvre’s security measures at a meeting of cabinet ministers.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the greater harm was to France’s historical heritage, calling the financial loss “extraordinary.”

Beccuau reported that four people have been identified as being present at the scene, that 100 investigators are tracing the crew and any of their associates, and that there are ongoing expert analyses.

In the days following the theft, disgruntled tourists were turned away at the Louvre entrance in Paris.

However, museumgoers flocked to the museum on Wednesday for the 9am (07:00 GMT) opening, despite the Apollo Gallery’s closure.

Nine million people toured the museum’s extensive hallways and galleries last year, making it the world’s most visited museum, which has a large Mona Lisa collection.

The Apollo Gallery, home to the royal collection of gems, is likely to be questioned by museum director Laurence des Cars, who became the first woman to lead the Louvre in 2021.