The world's largest museum and a powerful national symbol, the Louvre in Paris, was transformed into a crime scene last Sunday morning when a gang of four professional thieves executed a brazen daylight heist, successfully stealing nine items of 19th-century French royal jewelry. The incident, which unfolded over "almost four minutes", was described by Channel 4 News as an attack on France's heritage. The criminals used a mechanical ladder to reach a first-floor window of the Gallerie d'Apollon. Two members of the gang used battery-powered disc cutters to break into one of the gallery’s most ornate rooms. After threatening security guards and smashing display cases, the thieves stole nine bejeweled pieces before attempting to set fire to their ladder vehicle and escaping on scooters. Channel 4 News noted that no one was injured during the robbery, but the museum was evacuated and closed for the remainder of the day.
The stolen items, dating from France's 19th-century royalty, are "encrusted with thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones". They include a brooch and a pair of emerald earrings that once belonged to Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. Remarkably, Empress Eugénie's crown, covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds and featuring golden eagles, was found near the scene, apparently dropped by the thieves in their haste. Investigators are currently checking the recovered crown for damage. Given the historical and cultural importance of the pieces, it has been deemed "impossible to put a value on them". However, criminals often prefer stealing jewels over artwork because jewels can be "broken down and sold for cash," unlike recognizable stolen artworks, which are harder to monetize.
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Louvre Heist
This "embarrassing incident" has raised "serious questions about security procedures" protecting the museum's collection of over half a million items. Christopher Marinello, an attorney specializing in recovering stolen art, expressed shock that the thieves managed to infiltrate the Louvre, a museum generally considered "one of the most well-funded museums in the world" with security usually "the best in its class". Marinello noted the plan was "incredibly simple and effective," utilizing an ordinary ladder and tools. However, the thieves likely exploited existing construction and the location of the jewels near a window in a case breakable with the right tools. Moreover, unexpected activity, such as someone working "on a Sunday at 9:00 a.m.," should have "raised a red flag".
The vulnerability of the site was not news to some staff. Museum employee and union leader Elise Müller asserted that "alerts have been issued for months and months by all safety and security personnel" to highlight existing flaws, but "management completely ignored all these alerts". Müller stated that "what we feared happened: looting and pillaging". French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the incident, vowing that prosecutors "will do everything possible to bring the thieves to justice," and posting that "The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on our heritage that we cherish because it is our history".
The investigation is now a "race against time", with over 60 investigators working with French police. The thieves' strategy is to "hide the crime by breaking up the jewels". The criminals "don't care at all about the cultural significance of the pieces", focusing purely on the raw diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds. The next step for the criminals is to take the gems to a location like Antwerp, Tel Aviv, or India to find a "dodgy jeweler who will break them up" and render them "completely untraceable". Marinello cautioned that getting the jewels across borders is "not that difficult," possibly by sewing them "inside a lining" to pass through an airport once the metal is removed.
Despite the challenges, Marinello stated his conviction that the French police (the BRB and OCBC) "will catch these guys eventually". However, he noted that past high-profile thefts, such as the 2019 Dresden Green Vault theft and the Blenheim Palace golden toilet theft, resulted in arrests, but the jewels were "never recovered". Channel 4 News highlighted that the Louvre, whose popularity was boosted by fictional accounts like The Da Vinci Code and Lupin, is now facing "tough questions of complacency and competency". Given that the Louvre is scheduled for a multi-hundred-million-euro renovation, security—and potentially relocating high-value items—should now be prioritized. Marinello's ultimate lesson for all museums is clear: "if you have gold if you have jewels of this magnitude lock them up because they're coming for you next".
