A massive search was underway on Monday for the group of thieves who stole eight priceless royal jewels from the Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris in a bold daytime raid.
Authorities said around 60 investigators have been assigned to the case, working under the assumption that the theft was a highly coordinated operation carried out by an organised crime group.
The heist reignited fierce debate over France’s museum security, with Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin acknowledging on October 20 that the Louvre’s protection systems had clear weaknesses.
“What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, and give France a terrible image,” he told France Inter radio.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also conceded on October 19 that museum security remains a “major weak spot,” following a string of similar robberies in recent months.
According to a source close to the investigation, the robbers arrived between 9:30am and 9:40am on October 19, just minutes after the museum opened at 9am.
They used a moving truck equipped with an extendable ladder to reach the Apollo Gallery, which houses the royal collection, before cutting through a window and breaking into the display cases.
A brief video of the incident, reportedly filmed by a visitor, was later aired on French news outlets. The masked assailants stole nine 19th-century jewellery pieces, including the crown of Empress Eugénie, which was dropped and damaged during their escape.
Seven-Minute Raid
The Culture Ministry confirmed on October 19 that eight priceless items were taken in the seven-minute heist.
The stolen treasures include an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise, a diamond diadem once owned by Empress Eugénie featuring nearly 2,000 diamonds, and a sapphire-and-diamond necklace belonging to Marie-Amélie, the last queen of France.
According to the Louvre’s website, the latter piece contained eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.
Officials believe the operation was executed by a highly experienced team, possibly involving foreign nationals. The quick response of museum staff reportedly forced the thieves to flee, leaving behind some of their equipment.
Mr. Alexandre Giquello, president of the auction house Drouot Patrimoine, said the stolen jewels would be “impossible to sell in their current state.”
National ‘Humiliation’
The incident marks the first theft at the Louvre since 1998, when a painting by Corot was stolen and never recovered.
The brazen raid has reignited criticism of what many describe as “lax museum security” across France, where cultural institutions are often less protected than banks but increasingly targeted by criminals.
In September, robbers broke into Paris’ Natural History Museum, escaping with gold samples worth about US$700,000. That same month, thieves stole two dishes and a vase valued at US$7.6 million from a museum in Limoges.
The Louvre robbery has triggered political outrage. “How far will the disintegration of the state go?” wrote far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella on social media, calling the theft “an unbearable humiliation for our country.”
President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that “everything is being done” to apprehend those responsible and recover the stolen treasures.
