Nine Crown Jewels Stolen in Louvre Heist

A gang of masked thieves executed a minutes-long daytime heist at the Louvre on Sunday, Oct. 19, smashing display cases in the Galerie d'Apollon and forcing a Seine-facing window before fleeing on scooters or motorbikes. Officials say nine pieces of Napoleonic and royal crown jewellery were taken — including a matching necklace and earrings and imperial crowns — and that an emerald-set crown reportedly belonging to Empress Eugénie was later found broken outside the museum. Authorities said the group reached the upper gallery using a basket lift/freight elevator or mechanised ladder and used small chainsaws or disc cutters to breach vitrines, completing the theft in roughly four to seven minutes. Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez were on site as police sealed the museum, closed it for the day, cordoned nearby streets and began a forensic review of CCTV, traffic cameras and equipment left at the scene. Investigators are probing for possible scouting or inside help, and the theft has heightened scrutiny of Louvre security amid ongoing construction and staffing concerns.