Jewels of “priceless value”, one of which has already been identified, were stolen from the Louvre museum in central Paris this morning in a spectacular heist in which the perpetrators are on the run.

The incident happened between 09:30 and 09:40 (local time, 10:30 – 10:40 Greek time), when three or four burglars entered the “Apollo Gallery” of the museum, where among other things, the French Crown jewels are kept.

Jewelry in the museum’s “Gallery of Apollo”.

The perpetrators broke the windows of the room with the wheel assistsince they arrived there externally with mobile craneaccording to convergent sources. The jewels were kept in display cases.

Louvre museum Thieves

jewelry in the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre museum

Jewelry in the museum’s “Gallery of Apollo”.

Empress Eugenia’s crown found

One of the jewels was found “close” to the museum, the French Minister of Culture Rashida Dati announced at noon, adding that it is “under evaluation”.

Although the minister refused to specify which jewel it is, AFP, according to its information from a source with knowledge of the case, says that the crown of Empress Eugenia was one of the jewels stolen today from the Louvre and was found near the museum having suffered damage.

The tiara of the wife of Napoleon III, typical of imperial tiaras, consists of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to a description posted on the Louvre’s website.

Earlier, the newspaper Le Parisien also reported that it was believed to be the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, and that the jewel had been broken.

Visitors to the museum, which had opened at 09:00, were quickly evacuated “without any incident,” the Louvre’s management told AFP.

The moment visitors vacate the museum:

The value of the loot is marked “priceless”according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who told French media that the bandits completed their action “in 7 minutes”.

For her part, Dati pointed out, speaking to the TF1 television station, that “we saw some footage” from security cameras. “They don’t target people, they calmly enter in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot and leave. No violence, in a very professional manner”he explained.

Crown Diamonds

At the Apollo Gallery, the attackers focused on “2 display cases,” according to Núñez.

The gallery, which was commissioned by King Louis XIV, houses the royal collection of precious stones and the Crown Diamonds, including three historic pieces: Le Régent, Le Sancy and L’Hortensia.

Núñez, a former Paris police chief who was recently appointed interior minister, expressed “strong optimism” that the attackers – who escaped on a scooter – would be caught “very soon”.

According to him, these are “experienced” criminals who may be “foreigners”. A scooter was located after they fled.

Series of burglaries – Questions about the security system

In a post on X the museum, which welcomed almost 9 million visitors in 2024 – of which 80% were foreigners – announced that it would remain closed on Sunday “for exceptional reasons”. The management of the museum clarified to AFP that the aim is “to preserve evidence for research”.

Asked about possible gaps in the security system, the interior minister declined to comment, stressing however that museum security is vulnerable.

“We know very well that there is a significant vulnerability in French museums”Nuñez said, recalling that a recent “security plan” launched by the Ministry of Culture also includes the Louvre.

His statements come after a series of recent burglaries in museums in France.

In mid-September they were stolen samples of natural gold from the National Museum of Natural History in Pariswhich called the loss “priceless” for research and cultural heritage.

The theft involved several samples of natural gold – that is, gold in its natural form –, the museum had explained, with their value estimated at around 600,000 euros.

In the same month a museum in Limoges, the city in central France known for its porcelain, was the target of a burglary with loot worth an estimated €6.5 million.