The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed to the public today following a dramatic theft that saw professional-looking thieves break into the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon and remove several pieces of the French crown jewels. Authorities say the raid took place around 9:30 a.m. local time, shortly after the museum opened.
The incident involved a group of three to four individuals who reportedly used a cherry-picker lift and power-tools to access the upper floor through a window facing the Seine. Inside the gallery—home to historic tiaras, necklaces and brooches from the Napoleonic era—the gang smashed display cases and fled on scooters, completing the operation in under ten minutes.
In the aftermath, the museum announced it would remain closed for the rest of the day for “exceptional reasons” and to assist investigators. No one was reported injured. French officials described the stolen items as being of “inestimable heritage” beyond their monetary value.
Law enforcement personnel sealed off the museum’s entrance, evacuated visitors, and launched a forensic investigation. French Interior and Culture ministers were seen on-site, emphasizing the gravity of the theft and its impact on national cultural patrimony.