Editor’s Note
The crown of Empress Eugénie, a priceless 19th-century jewel adorned with over 1,400 precious stones, was recovered damaged after thieves dropped it while fleeing the Louvre. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the heist.
The crown of Empress Eugénie, which thieves attempted to steal from the Louvre Museum, was found broken after being dropped during the escape. The crown was a gift from Emperor Napoleon III to his wife in 1855 to commemorate the Paris World’s Fair, featuring 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds. / Yonhap News
Two suspects in the theft of royal jewels worth an estimated 1 trillion won from the Louvre Museum in France have been arrested six days after the crime. French police are tracking the whereabouts of the stolen jewels and searching for accomplices. According to French daily Le Parisien and BFM TV, the Criminal Investigation Department (BRDP) under the Paris Prosecutor’s Office arrested two men in their 30s from Seine-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, on the night of the 25th on charges of organized theft. One was apprehended at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to leave for Algeria, and the other was arrested at his residence in Seine-Saint-Denis at the same time.
Both individuals are reported to have prior theft convictions. Investigative authorities have so far been unable to confirm the location or whereabouts of the stolen jewels. Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated in a press release,
French media reported that authorities believe the suspects did not act alone but were likely following orders from someone else, and they are continuing their investigation to locate the jewels and find accomplices. There is also a possibility that an international stolen goods network may be behind the crime.
A museum employee appears to have been involved in the crime. Le Monde reported,
Le Figaro also reported,
The theft occurred around 9:30 a.m. on the 19th at the Galerie d’Apollon in the Louvre. This gallery, created during the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century, is a symbolic exhibition space in the Louvre that displays French royal jewels and orders. The perpetrators parked a ladder truck against a side wall of the gallery that had no external surveillance cameras, broke a second-floor window, and entered.
Wearing work clothes and motorcycle helmets, the thieves used the ladder truck to access the gallery from outside and stole eight pieces of jewelry in just seven minutes before fleeing. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office stated that the damage amounts to approximately 88 million euros (about 149.9 billion won). More than 150 pieces of evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, and shoe prints, were collected at the scene. A suspect’s hair found inside a helmet reportedly provided a crucial clue for identification. Franceinfo noted,
BFM TV pointed out,
The Louvre Museum has initiated a full review of its security systems. The French Ministry of Culture has also defined this incident as
and is urgently inspecting the security conditions of major national museums, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Centre Pompidou.
