Louvre Museum in Paris is stolen at daylight robbery in few minutes, with an unknown group of thieves.
A spectacular and meticulously executed daylight raid has shaken the art world and the French government, with thieves making off with an estimated eight to nine pieces of priceless French Crown Jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The astonishing operation, which French authorities suggest lasted a mere four to seven minutes, has exposed deep-seated security flaws at the world’s most-visited museum and ignited a massive international manhunt for the professional gang responsible for the largest art theft since 1998.
A Four-Minute Heist at the Louvre
In a brazen act of criminal daring, a team of professional thieves pulled off a lightning-fast four-minute heist at the Louvre, successfully stealing historic French royal treasures deemed to be of “incalculable” and “inestimable heritage value.”
The audacious raid, which took place in broad daylight, saw masked individuals bypass security systems and exploit ongoing renovations at the Parisian landmark to target the sacred Galerie d’Apollon—home to the nation’s most cherished imperial jewels.
The theft has stunned France, with a manhunt now underway to recover the priceless jewels and apprehend the highly organised criminals who have delivered a significant blow to the heart of French heritage.
Key Headline Points to the News
• Daring Daylight Entry:
The four masked thieves used a truck-mounted basket lift (a furniture hoist) to scale the museum’s façade, accessing a second-floor balcony window on the River Seine side around 9:30 am—just half an hour after the museum opened to visitors.
• Targeted Jewels Stolen:
The criminals targeted the Napoleonic collection in the Galerie d’Apollon, stealing at least eight pieces, including an emerald necklace given by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a sapphire diadem, necklace, and earring from a set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.
• Professional Precision:
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the operation as “professional,” while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez noted it was the work of “an experienced team who had clearly scouted the location.”
They reportedly used power tools and disc cutters to breach the window and smash two display cases.
• Security Failures Admitted:
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin publicly admitted, “What is certain is that we have failed,” citing the ability of the thieves to park a large mechanical lift in central Paris and execute the robbery unimpeded.
Preliminary audits have revealed widespread security deficiencies, including a lack of surveillance cameras in up to a third of the Denon Wing.
• Damaged Crown Found:
During their swift escape on powerful motor scooters, the thieves dropped the heavily adorned Crown of Empress Eugénie, which was later recovered outside the museum, reportedly broken.
The collection’s most famous item, the 45-carat Regent Diamond, was left behind.
The Anatomy of the Crime
According to French authorities, the robbery was surgical in its speed and execution.
Disguised in workers’ vests to blend with construction work near the Seine facade, the balaclava-clad thieves used the vehicle-mounted ladder to gain immediate, direct access to the gallery. Once inside, they used power tools to cut through glass panes and smash two display cases housing the 19th-century imperial suite.
Despite alarms being triggered, the entire operation to grab the items and descend the lift to two accomplices waiting on motor scooters lasted approximately seven minutes.
Museum staff reportedly intervened, forcing the thieves to abandon some of their cutting equipment and, crucially, the iconic Crown of Empress Eugénie, which was found damaged on the ground.
The fact that the thieves could so effectively exploit the building’s exterior and its security systems has led to a major investigation by a specialised anti-art theft unit, with over 60 investigators assigned to the case.
Investigators are pursuing the theory that the heist was either commissioned by a private, illicit collector or linked to an international money-laundering operation.
Museum Security Under Scrutiny
The embarrassment for France is considerable, and the incident has reignited a fierce debate over security at national museums. Justice Minister Darmanin’s public acknowledgment of a “failure” of security highlights concerns that Interior Minister Nuñez previously referred to as a “major weak spot” in French museums.
Reports indicate that an internal audit revealed major security vulnerabilities, including an inadequate budget for security investments and a lack of proper video monitoring in critical exhibition spaces, including the same wing that houses the Mona Lisa.
The thieves’ ability to park an industrial vehicle in a busy area of Paris and use it to breach the facility in daylight without immediate police intervention points to serious lapses that the French government must now urgently address.
The Louvre remains closed to the public as police continue their forensic investigation.
