‘Priceless’ jewels stolen from Louvre by robbers ‘armed with chainsaws’ in four-minute heist
Robbers have stolen ‘priceless’ jewelry from the collection of the Louvre museum and art gallery in Paris, France’s culture minister has said.
The audacious daylight heist lasted just four minutes, Rachida Dati told French television, and involved the use of a goods lift.
According to news site Le Parisien, the jewelry that was taken included nine of the 23 items belonging to Napoleon and the Empress Josephine in the museum’s collection.
One of the pieces – thought to be Josephine’s crown, which had been broken – was found outside the museum, the site said.
Citing a police source, news wire AFP reported the thieves arrived on a scooter armed with small chainsaws, and used the furniture elevator to access the Galerie d’Apollon.
Among the other treasures stored in the same part of the building are France’s crown jewels.
A concrete saw was pictured lying on the street outside the Louvre.
Police officers this morning beside the Louvre’s famous glass pyramid (Picture: Reuters)
Ariel Weil, the mayor of central Paris, compared the robbers to one of France’s most famous fictional characters – gentleman thief Arsène Lupin.
He told Le Parisien: ‘It’s been a movie script up until now. It’s hard to imagine that it’s seemingly so easy to burglarize the Louvre.’
The world-famous site is closed to visitors for the rest of the day as an investigation is launched into the theft.
Police stand next to the goods lift believed to have been used in the robbery (Picture: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP)
A concrete saw left at the scene (Picture: Poitout Florian/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said: ‘It was necessary to evacuate people (…) primarily to preserve traces and clues so that investigators could work calmly.’
Nuñez had previously said the robbery took seven minutes, before his government colleague revealed it took even less time.
Dati confirmed the incident in a post on X, saying it took place this morning and no injuries were reported.
She wrote: ‘I am on site alongside the museum teams and the police. Investigations underway.’
The museum’s own X account posted it would ‘remain closed today for exceptional reasons’.
The Louvre is the biggest museum in the world, and is home to renowned artworks including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue.
Politics Editor
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