The Musée du Louvre in Paris remains closed after thieves broke in on Sunday and stole eight items of jewellery. The museum was targeted just after 9.30 on Sunday morning by four masked thieves, who used a mechanical ladder to gain access to a first-floor window that leads on to the Gallery of Apollo. They then used power tools to cut through the panes and entered the museum, before threatening the security guards and smashing two glass display cases. The thieves escaped on motorbikes, the whole heist lasting just seven minutes. French culture minister Rachida Dati confirmed that there were no injuries and that the thieves were ‘experienced’ and ‘very professional’. Among the stolen pieces are an emerald necklace and earrings owned by Empress Marie Louise, second wife of Napoleon, and a tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Two more items, including Eugénie’s crown, were dropped by the robbers and were recovered near the scene. While the monetary value is yet to be calculated, the French interior minister Laurent Nuñez has described the jewels as ‘priceless’. The Louvre has been beset by problems in recent years: in January this year, a leaked letter written to Dati by the director, Laurence des Cars, described visiting the museum as a ‘physical ordeal’ due to problems with dilapidation and overcrowding. President Macron wrote on X that ‘we will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice’, adding that the renovation project announced in January will increase security at the Louvre.
