The world’s most-visited museum will stay closed for the day for ‘distinctive causes’.
Revealed On 19 Oct 2025
Thieves wielding energy instruments have struck on the famed Louvre Museum in Paris, stealing priceless jewels in a brazen heist that took simply 4 minutes, in line with the federal government.
The thieves struck at about 9:30am (07:30 GMT) when the museum had already opened its doorways to the general public and entered the Galerie d’Apollon constructing, which is residence to the French crown jewels, the Ministry of the Inside mentioned in an announcement on Sunday.
Beneficial Tales
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“The investigation has begun, and an in depth record of the stolen objects is being compiled. Past their market worth, this stuff have priceless heritage and historic worth,” the assertion mentioned, including that no accidents had been reported, both among the many public or amongst Louvre employees or legislation enforcement officers.
Tradition Minister Rachida Dati mentioned the daring heist was over in 4 minutes, and that one of many stolen jewelry items was discovered close to the museum.
“We got here instantly, a few minutes after we acquired info of this theft. To be utterly sincere, this operation lasted nearly 4 minutes – it was very fast. We’ve to say that these are professionals,” she mentioned.
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and residential to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, mentioned on X it will stay closed for the day for “distinctive causes”.
Footage from exterior the museum confirmed chaotic scenes as police closed its gates and close by roads, leading to crowds of confused vacationers exterior the complicated.
Chatting with France Inter radio, Inside Minister Laurent Nunez mentioned “jewels of inestimable worth” had been stolen in what he described as a “main theft”.
He mentioned the thieves used a basket carry to achieve the museum’s home windows earlier than slicing the panes “with a disc cutter” to enter the focused gallery, earlier than escaping on motorbikes.
French day by day Le Parisien reported that the thieves entered the museum, housed in a former palace, by way of the facade going through the Seine, the place building work is below manner. The newspaper mentioned the criminals reportedly stole “9 items from the jewelry assortment of Napoleon and the Empress”, including {that a} crown belonging to Empress Eugenie was later discovered damaged exterior the museum.
The Louvre has a protracted historical past of thefts, most famously in 1911, when the Mona Lisa was stolen by a former employee. It was recovered two years later in Florence, Italy.
In 1983, two Renaissance-era items of armour had been stolen from the Louvre and had been recovered almost 4 many years later.
A number of French museum have just lately been focused.
Final month, thieves broke into Paris’s Pure Historical past Museum, making off with gold samples value 600,000 euros ($700,000). They used an angle grinder and a blow torch to steal the native gold, a steel alloy containing gold and silver of their pure unrefined kind.
In November final yr, 4 thieves stole snuffboxes and different treasured artifacts from one other Paris museum in broad daylight, breaking right into a show case with axes and baseball bats. They snuck into the Cognacq-Jay museum carrying gloves, hoods and helmets, placing in full view of different guests to the museum.
