Louvre Heist Steals Napoleonic Crown Jewels

On October 19 a brazen daytime heist at the Louvre closed the museum after masked thieves used an external freight/basket lift to reach the Seine‑facing Galerie d’Apollon, forced open a window with a disc cutter/angle grinder and smashed display cases to seize Napoleonic crown jewels. The raid took about four to seven minutes, the gang fled on motorbikes and no injuries were reported. Authorities say eight priceless items were stolen (some reports say nine were targeted), including diadems, tiaras, necklaces and earrings linked to Empress Eugénie, Empress Marie‑Louise, Queen Marie‑Amélie and Queen Hortense; Empress Eugénie’s crown was later recovered damaged. Interior and culture ministers and President Macron condemned the theft, launched a forensic probe and manhunt, and prosecutors are treating the case as organized criminality. Investigators said the thieves exploited nearby construction and a goods lift and warned the items’ cultural value is incalculable, with recovery remaining uncertain as the probe continues.