A “heist” took place on Sunday, October 19th, at the opening of the Louvre Museum, the Minister of Culture announced on the social network X. “No injuries reported. I am on site with the museum staff and the police. Assessments are underway,” wrote the minister, who was joined on site by the Minister of the Interior.
The Louvre, which welcomed nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, 80% of whom were foreigners, announced on the social network X that it would remain “closed” on Sunday “for exceptional reasons.”
Between 9:30 and 9:40 AM, perpetrators broke into the museum, located in the heart of Paris, and stole several art objects before fleeing. According to the Minister of the Interior, jewelry of “priceless value” was stolen.
An investigation has been opened for organized gang theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime, and has been assigned to the Paris Judicial Police’s Banditry Suppression Brigade, with the support of the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property. He added that “the damage is being assessed” and that “investigations are ongoing.”
Three perpetrators allegedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One of the stolen jewels was found near the museum, abandoned by the perpetrators during their escape.
Several Museums Targeted
The perpetrators “gained entry from the outside using a lift platform, which was positioned on a truck,” before breaking the window of the Galerie d’Apollon and heading “towards a number of display cases where they stole jewelry, the list of which I will not provide.” They then fled on scooters. One scooter was found after their escape. “All means are already being deployed to recover the loot,” said the Paris police prefecture.
Several French museums have recently been targeted by burglaries and thefts, highlighting potential weaknesses in protection and surveillance systems. “Organized crime today is targeting art objects” and “museums have become targets,” it was acknowledged.
In September, at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, which lamented an “immeasurable loss” for research and heritage. This theft involved several specimens of native gold, that is, gold in its natural form, the museum explained, estimating the value of the damage at around 600,000 euros.
During the same month of September, a museum in Limoges, in central France, a reference in the field of porcelain, was also targeted.