Stolen jewellery worth €88m, prosecutor says
Jewelery stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in a daring robbery was worth 88 million euros (£76 million; $102 million), the French prosecutor said, citing the museum curator.
Laure Beccuau told RTL radio that the amount was “extraordinary” but the greater loss was to France’s historical heritage. Among the items taken were royal jewels and pieces that the two Napoleons had gifted to their wives.
Shortly after the world’s most visited museum opened on Sunday morning, it took less than eight minutes for thieves using power tools to collect the loot.
Since the thieves have not been caught more than two days after the robbery, experts fear that the jewels have already been lost.
Ms Beccuau said she hoped the disclosure of the estimated value of the jewels would make robbers think twice and not destroy them.
He added that thieves wouldn’t be able to pocket the entire windfall if they “had the very bad idea of melting down these jewels.”
Among the items taken, which had previously been declared to be of inestimable value, was the diamond and emerald necklace that Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife, III. It includes a crown worn by Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugenie, and several pieces that previously belonged to Queen Marie-Amelie.
Along the thieves’ escape route, investigators found a damaged tiara belonging to Empress Eugenie, apparently dropped while leaving in a hurry.
Four masked thieves gained access to the Galerie d’Apollon from a balcony near the River Seine using a truck equipped with a mechanical lift.
Two of them entered the museum by cutting through a glass window on the first floor using a cordless disc cutter. They then evacuated the building by threatening the guards inside.
The thieves tried to set fire to their vehicles outside, but were prevented by the intervention of museum staff. They were seen escaping on scooters.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the robbery as an attack on France’s heritage.
Security measures around the country’s cultural institutions have been tightened after a preliminary report found there was no CCTV in one in three rooms at the Louvre and the general alarm system was not activated.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said security protocols had “failed” and complained that the ability of thieves to drive a modified truck into the museum left a “horrible image” in France.
Authorities believe they are after a team of professionals given how fast and organized they are.
art recovery experts I told the BBC before Investigators had only a day or two to find the items before they were thought to be completely destroyed.
like that they are probably broken Other experts said precious metals and precious stones were smuggled out of the country and sold at prices far below their value.
