Authorities in France are scrambling to contain a major scandal after an estimated eight priceless royal jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday.
The heist, which took only seven minutes, was executed by an experienced team that audaciously used a mover’s extendable ladder truck to bypass ground-level security and access the Apollo Gallery.
The theft took place between 09:30 and 09:40 local time on Sunday morning, shortly after the museum opened to visitors.
The masked thieves stole nine 19th-century items of jewelry, one of which- the crown of the Empress Eugenie- they dropped and damaged as they made their escape. It is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the museum’s website.
Eight “priceless” items of jewelry were stolen, the culture ministry said Sunday. The list they released included an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
Louvre Museum heist sparks political debate
The incident has triggered a fierce political debate over the shocking lack of protection at France’s museums.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin conceded that the failure was an “unbearable humiliation for our country,” admitting that security measures were insufficient to prevent thieves from parking a hoist and escaping with historic treasures like an emerald necklace given by Napoleon.
President Emmanuel Macron described the robbery as an “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history”. He vowed that “everything” will be done to catch the perpetrators.
The police investigation is focused on a highly organized criminal group. The theft is the Louvre’s first since 1998, but it follows two other recent high-value museum robberies in France, confirming Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s assessment that museum security is a “major weak spot,” far less secure than banks.
