Thieves broke into the Louvre yesterday shortly after the museum opened at 9:30 a.m., stealing eight jewels from Napoleon’s collection in the “Apollo Gallery.”
The robbers entered the museum from the second floor using a crane and a ladder, reached the gallery, smashed the glass display cases containing the jewels, and fled on motorbikes as soon as the alarm went off.
According to the French Ministry of Culture, among the stolen items was not the precious crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie — the thieves dropped it as they fled. They also did not take the Regent Diamond, valued at more than $60 million.
The most famous robbery at the Louvre took place in 1911, when a former employee stole the Mona Lisa.
The other missing pieces include a tiara, earrings, and a sapphire necklace from the jewelry sets of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, as well as items from the collection of Marie-Louise.
Police are searching for three or four individuals, while one of the stolen jewels was found near the Louvre.
The robbery has taken on political dimensions, as far-right leader Jordan Bardella used it to attack President Emmanuel Macron, who faces a deeply divided parliament.
“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture,” Bardella wrote on X. “How far will the decline of the state go?”
Source: Guardian
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