‘Priceless’ jewels stolen from France’s Louvre Museum in four-minute heist

The government claims that a heist that involved armed men snatching valuable jewelry took place at the renowned Louvre Museum in Paris in just four minutes.

The museum’s doors had already opened to the public and the thieves broke into the Galerie d’Apollon building, which is home to the French crown jewels, at around 9:30 am (07:30 GMT), according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday.

A detailed list of the stolen items is being compiling as a result of the investigation has already begun. These items have a priceless heritage and historical value beyond their market value, according to the statement, noting that neither the public nor Louvre staff or law enforcement officers have reported any injuries.

Rachida Dati, the minister of culture, claimed one of the stolen jewelry pieces was discovered close to the museum and that the daring heist had ended in four minutes.

“We arrived right away, a few moments after we learned about this robbery.” To be completely honest, this procedure only lasted for almost four minutes, which was very quick. These are professionals, we must say, she said.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is a permanent exhibit at the Louvre, which is the world’s most visited museum, on X for “exceptional reasons.”

As police closed its gates and nearby roads, which were captured on video outside the museum, which led to a flurry of confused tourists gathered outside the complex.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the theft as “major robbery” and claimed “jewels of inestimable value” were involved.

He claimed that the thieves broke into the museum’s windows with a basket lift before riding motorcycles to escape. They then cut the glass “with a disc cutter.”

The thieves entered the former palace museum through the Seine’s facade, which is currently undergoing construction work, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. According to the newspaper, the thieves allegedly stole “nine pieces from Napoleon’s and the Empress’s jewelry,” and they later discovered Empress Eugenie’s crown broken outside the museum.

The Mona Lisa was taken by a former employee at the Louvre in 1911, which is most famous among the thefts. It was recovered in Florence, Italy, two years later.

Two Renaissance-era armour pieces were taken from the Louvre in 1983, and they were later recovered nearly four decades later.

Recently, several French museums have been targeted.

The Natural History Museum in Paris was raided last month and stole 600, 000 euros ($700, 000) in gold samples. The native gold, a metal alloy containing gold and silver in their original, unrefined form, was stolen using an angle grinder and a blow torch.