Editor’s Note
The mayor of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, likened a recent heist in the city to a cinematic plot, invoking fictional thieves like Lupin and Belphégor. His remarks underscore the audacious and almost unreal nature of the crime.
Thieves broke into the Louvre during the morning, Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced this Sunday, October 19. The museum announced it would close its doors for the day. Eight jewels of “immeasurable heritage value,” including the diadem of Empress Eugénie and two necklaces, were stolen.
No injuries were reported. An investigation has been opened and the BRB (Brigade de Répression du Banditisme) has been tasked to establish “the exact circumstances in which the events took place,” the Interior Ministry stated.
Due to this incident, the Louvre museum closed its doors for the entire day.
Four people broke in, using a scissor lift and an angle grinder, into the Galerie d’Apollon. The entire theft lasted seven minutes.
Eight jewels of “immeasurable value” were stolen and the perpetrators are still at large.
An investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The President of the Republic believes that “the theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History.”
He also indicated that “the Louvre New Renaissance project, which we launched in January, includes a strengthening of security. It will be the guarantor of the preservation and protection of what constitutes our memory and our culture.”
According to initial information, there would be 4 perpetrators, announced Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, on BFMTV.
The Paris prosecutor specified, on BFMTV, that investigators have “CCTV footage from the museum and the City” and can also count on “the mobilization of fellow citizens.”
The item is now in the hands of investigators.
Laure Beccuau gave, on BFMTV, details on the jewels stolen by the thieves. According to her, there are:
– A necklace and an earring from the Marie-Louise collection
– Three jewels (a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a diadem) from the collections of Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.
– Four pieces from the collection of Empress Eugénie. Two brooches, one of which is described as a reliquary, a corsage knot, and a diadem.
They also tried to steal the crown of Empress Eugénie but it was recovered.
The scissor lift used by the perpetrators was brought by the thieves themselves a few minutes before.
Since then, the lift has been removed by a tow truck.
The Ministry of Culture announced that eight jewels were stolen during the heist this Sunday morning, including the diadem of Empress Eugénie and two necklaces.
A ninth object, the crown of Empress Eugénie, was abandoned in their flight by the perpetrators and its condition is “under examination,” detailed the ministry, which specified that “two high-security display cases” were targeted during the robbery.
Former President François Hollande denounced “a serious act, an attack on our heritage” after the Louvre heist and mentioned several other thefts that have affected French museums in recent weeks.
Regarding this Louvre heist, he said he does not rule out any hypothesis, not even that of foreign interference “to destabilize our country.”
The MP for Alpes-Maritimes Éric Ciotti declared that “the government, the ultimate symbol of its collapse, let the Crown Jewels be stolen.”
For him, “the entire Nation is threatened.”
In a video accessed by BFMTV, a hooded person wearing a yellow vest is seen sawing a display case in the Galerie d’Apollon.