Thieves used ‘cherry picker’, ‘angle grinder’ in 7-minute Louvre Museum heist, pulled off like a breeze

In a daring daylight heist, men wielding “angle grinders” struck at the heavily guarded world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris after gaining entry from outside using a “cherry picker”, which was positioned on a truck, broke the window of the Apollo gallery, stole “priceless” jewellery and fled, conducting the shocking crime in just seven minutes. The world’s most visited museum, which is also home to the Mona Lisa, was shut for the day after the robbery. “Nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress” were stolen, but one of the jewels was later found outside the museum. The museum was evacuated to preserve evidence and to allow investigators and forensics teams to carry out their work.

“Individuals entered from outside with a cherry picker (a kind of hydraulic ladder) and stole priceless jewellery in an incident that lasted seven minutes,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez was quoted as saying by French media outlet Le Parisien.

‘It was manifestly a team that had done scouting’

Nunez said three or four men were involved in the heist, and they focused on two displays in Gallerie d’Apollon (Apollo’s Gallery). The Apollon wing of the Louvre has a set of historic crowns, diadems, and sovereign jewellery. It was “manifestly a team that had done scouting,” the minister said, adding that the panes were cut “with a disc cutter”.

Nuñez, who is a former Paris police chief, said the burglars broke several windows, and two of them entered the museum. They fled in a TMax, towards the A6 motorway after the heist. “They acted very, very quickly,” the minister said.

The amount of damages has not yet been disclosed. “They stole jewels which have a real heritage value, an inestimable heritage value,” Nuñez said.

The thieves gained access via the facade that faces the Seine, since some construction is going on there.

‘Shocking that a robbery could be carried out with such ease’

The mayor of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, said it was shocking that a robbery could be carried out at the Louvre with such ease. “It’s a shock... It’s been a movie script up until now. It’s hard to imagine that it’s seemingly so easy to burglarise the Louvre... The unexpected closure of the site is causing a major public order problem,” he told Le Parisien.

Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, said in a post on X, “The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. This robbery, which allowed thieves to steal the French Crown Jewels, is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the disintegration of the state go?”

Several French museums targeted recently, raising concerns over security systems

The Paris prosecutor’s office said an investigation has been opened for organised theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime.

Several French museums have been targeted recently, raising concerns over security and surveillance systems. In September, specimens of native gold were stolen from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. A museum in Limoges, renowned for its porcelain collection, was also burgled with losses estimated at €6.5 million.

Investigators were studying footage from security cameras.

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