Louvre Heist In Just 7 Minutes: How Thieves Used Lift, Disc Cutters In Daring Jewel Robbery | World News

A major robbery occurred at the famous Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, causing the museum to be closed for the day. The thieves reportedly entered through an area under construction, cut through the window and stole a large number of jewelery in just seven minutes.

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed the incident, stating that a robbery took place in X that morning. He also noted that no injuries were reported.

How Did the Robbery Happen?

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the incident as a “major robbery” and announced that the intruders entered the museum using a basket lift from outside. According to Nuñez, the criminals, clearly familiar with the area, broke the glass panels using a disk cutter and carried out the robbery with precision.

The group entered the world-famous museum from the facade overlooking the Seine, which is currently under construction, and reached their target, the Apollo Gallery, using a freight elevator. The robbery took place around 9.30 in the morning, after the museum opened to visitors.

Reports suggest that the thieves used a disc cutter and possibly a “floppy disk” to cut the glass before stealing the jewellery, and fled on two-wheelers. Forensic teams are currently investigating the scene and authorities are working on a detailed inventory of the stolen items.

While several items from the Napoleon collection were stolen, Nuñez described the stolen jewels as “priceless”. Thieves targeted two display cases at the Galerie d’Apollon, which housed some of the French Crown Jewels. According to Le Parisien, nine items believed to be from the collections of Napoleon and Empress Eugénie were stolen. A single piece said to be the Empress’s crown was later discovered broken outside the museum.

The Louvre has been subject to attempted theft in the past; The most famous of these was the 1911 Mona Lisa robbery. The painting was taken by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former employee who was hiding inside the museum and smuggled it out from under his coat. He was rescued in Florence two years later.

Following the robbery on Sunday, the museum was closed to visitors citing “exceptional reasons”. Police then closed the area and evacuated all visitors.