Louvre Museum in Paris closes after major jewellery heist

Paris: One of the jewellery pieces stolen from the Louvre Museum on Sunday has been recovered near the museum, France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed to TF1.

The theft involved several "priceless" items from the Gallerie d’Apollon, which houses France’s crown jewels.

Robbers wielding power tools used a furniture hoist to access the gallery, completing the heist in just seven minutes, sources said. The thieves arrived around 9:30–9:40 am (0730–0740 GMT) on a scooter, armed with angle grinders. Three of the four suspects used the hoist to reach the targeted room.

The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, closed its doors for the day. Police and forensics teams were on site, while soldiers with automatic rifles patrolled the esplanade, and nearby roads were cordoned off. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, with the value of the stolen items yet to be confirmed.

The Gallerie d’Apollon, commissioned by Louis XIV, houses historic diamonds including the Regent, Sancy, and Hortensia, as well as an emerald and diamond necklace given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise.

This robbery is part of a recent surge of museum thefts in Paris. Last month, thieves stole gold samples worth €600,000 from the Natural History Museum. In November last year, four thieves targeted the Cognacq-Jay museum, making off with precious artifacts in broad daylight.

President Emmanuel Macron has previously pledged to redesign, restore, and enlarge the Louvre, aiming to increase annual visitors to 12 million.