PARIS — A brazen robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris Sunday morning has left investigators searching for several men who made off with what officials describe as “priceless” jewels.
A spokesperson for the museum told NPR the suspects entered shortly after the museum opened, breaking in through a window that led to the Apollo Gallery, which houses some of the museum’s most valuable treasures.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati told the French TV channel TF1 that one of the stolen jewels was later found near the museum, apparently abandoned as the thieves fled.
The Louvre spokesperson described the items as being of “inestimable cultural and historical value.”
“There’s a judicial investigation underway,” Nuñez told France Inter radio, adding the missing items were “of true heritage value – truly priceless.”
Investigators are looking for a number of men who stole what authorities say are “priceless” jewels during a heinous heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday morning.
Shortly after the museum’s opening, the suspects broke in through a window leading to the Apollo Gallery, which contains some of its most priceless artifacts, a museum spokesperson told NPR. They destroyed display cases with their little chainsaws and box cutters before escaping on Yamaha TMax scooters in the direction of a nearby highway.
The pieces are thought to be from the museum’s Napoleonic collection, but authorities say the precise list of stolen items is still being compiled.
“One of the stolen jewels was later found near the museum, apparently abandoned as the thieves fled,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati told French TV channel TF1.
According to a Louvre representative, the objects have “inestimable cultural and historical value.”. “.
The theft was described as “a major, highly organized operation” by France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, and it took five minutes to complete. “A judicial investigation is in progress,” Nuñez stated on France Inter radio, adding that the missing objects were “of true heritage value – truly priceless.”. “.
Before breaking in, the robbers, according to Nuñez, used a truck-mounted lift platform to reach a window. “A very experienced team that acted extremely quickly,” he said, adding that all central police units in Paris had been mobilized to find the three to four suspects.
In order to preserve evidence for investigators, the museum was promptly evacuated and will not be open on Sunday.
One of the most recognizable areas of the Louvre, the Apollo Gallery, which holds many of France’s royal jewels, reopened in 2020 after extensive renovations.
