Thriller scenes unfolded on Sunday morning (19/10) at the Louvre where one of the most important thefts in the Museum’s history took place, causing an international shock.

Jewels of “priceless value”, one of which has already been identified, were stolen this morning from the museum in central Paris with the attackers fleeing.

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. The perpetrators broke the windows of the hall with the help of a wheel, after reaching there from the outside with a mobile crane, according to converging sources. The jewels were kept in display cases.

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”.

The incident, which lasted only a few minutes and has gone around the world, evoked memories of the most famous crime in the history of the museum: the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.

According to the BBC, although thefts at the museum are rare due to its high security system, they have occurred. In fact, the most famous is that of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa in 1911.

The poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the painter Pablo Picasso were then questioned by the police. However, the culprit turned out to be an Italian who – out of a sense of national pride – wanted the painting returned to Italy.

He was found three years later in Florence and returned to Paris. At that time the painting was not as famous as it is now.

At the same time, in 1983 some items of armor from the 16th century disappeared and were only rediscovered in 2011.

More recently, a painting by 19th century artist Camille Corot was stolen in 1998. “Le Chemin de Sevres” (The Road to Sevres) was simply removed from the wall without anyone noticing. The theft prompted a major security overhaul. However, the project was not found.

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 today that it will remain closed on Sunday “for exceptional reasons”. The management of the museum clarified to AFP that the aim is “to preserve evidence for the investigation” related to today’s theft.

Asked about possible gaps in the security system, Interior Minister Laurent Núñez 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 museum in Limogesthe city in central France known for its porcelain, became burglary target with loot of an estimated value of 6.5 million euros.