- The break-in targeted pieces in two glass cases
- The thieves struck at 9.30am local time on Sunday
- one of the largest art centres on the planet
The world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris, was suddenly closed for the day after a highly professional daylight robbery targeted “priceless” historic jewellery.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the break-in targeted pieces in two glass cases in its Apollon gallery, where the French crown jewels are held.
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The French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, visited the scene and told France Inter radio that ”priceless jewels “of unmeasurable heritage value” were stolen after what was clearly a well-organised raid by highly professional criminals.
Nuñez said the thieves struck at 9.30am local time on Sunday, and it took them seven minutes to make off with the jewels. He said: “They stole jewels which have a real heritage value, an inestimable heritage value.”
He further noted that the thieves approached the building from the outside, in an area where building work was taking place. A truck and a goods lift were used to access the museum. They used an angle grinder to break windows and enter. Nuñez said it was the work of “an experienced team who had clearly scouted the location.”
He said three or four suspects had fled, and police were investigating whether it was a gang known to them for other crimes. Investigators were studying footage from security cameras.
Nuñez would not confirm what jewels were taken but said the thieves targeted two glass cases. The ornate Apollon wing of the Louvre has a set of historic crowns, diadems and sovereign jewellery.
The Paris prosecutor has opened an inquiry into the theft. The French culture minister, Rachida Dati, was the first to announce the incident. “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” she wrote on social media, using the French word braquage. She added: “No injuries reported. I’m on site with museum staff and police.”
The Louvre, one of the largest art centres on the planet, said it was closing for the day “for exceptional reasons,” without providing further details on what had been stolen.
Earlier this year, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced a major renovation of the museum after its director said that visiting the overcrowded building had become a “physical ordeal”.
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