French police have launched a major manhunt after a group of armed robbers stole part of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris in a bold seven-minute daylight raid on Sunday morning.
According to authorities, the thieves used power tools and an extendable ladder to break into the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery) — a section known for displaying priceless royal treasures — before escaping with items described as “irreplaceable.”
The robbery happened between 9:30 a.m. and 9:40 a.m., shortly after the museum opened to the public. Witnesses said the scene unfolded like “something from a Hollywood movie.”
“It was crazy — we couldn’t enter the Louvre because there was a robbery,” said Talia Ocampo, an American tourist who was visiting with friends.
A local witness identified only as Samir told French media that he saw two men climb a furniture hoist and smash a window to get inside.
“It took them about 30 seconds. Then I saw four of them leaving with bags before speeding off on scooters,” he said.
The robbers, reportedly three or four in number, are believed to have used angle grinders and scooters to carry out the high-speed operation — just 800 meters from Paris police headquarters.
Police later found one of the stolen items — the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III — broken and discarded near the museum.
The 19th-century crown, covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, is one of France’s most treasured royal artifacts. It was discovered damaged, but its gemstones were mostly intact, according to a source close to the investigation.
Other stolen pieces are still being identified, but officials confirmed that the thieves targeted two display cases containing “priceless royal jewelry.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the robbery as a “serious attack on France’s cultural heritage” and confirmed that a special police task force had been deployed to track down the suspects.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, was immediately evacuated and closed for the rest of the day “for exceptional reasons.”
Police officers cordoned off the area around the glass pyramid entrance, while forensic teams examined the scene for clues.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), museum management said the closure was necessary to “preserve evidence and assist investigators.”
This daring heist is the latest in a string of recent robberies targeting French cultural institutions.
• Last month, thieves broke into the Paris Natural History Museum using power tools and stole gold samples worth around €600,000 ($700,000).
• Earlier this month, robbers took Chinese porcelain valued at €6.5 million from a museum in Limoges.
• Late last year, four masked men raided the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris, smashing glass cases with axes and baseball bats.
These incidents have raised serious questions about museum security across France — especially in central Paris, where several heists have occurred within minutes of major police stations.
The Louvre was once the royal palace of France until King Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles in the late 1600s. Its Galerie d’Apollon, where the jewels were displayed, was designed under Louis XIV and later inspired the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
The museum hosts millions of visitors each year and houses masterpieces like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, which was itself stolen in 1911 and recovered months later — an incident that remains one of the most famous art thefts in history.
In January this year, President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to redesign and expand the Louvre to modernize its facilities and strengthen security. Those plans have now taken on renewed urgency following this latest heist.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a full investigation, with police analyzing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses. Forensic teams are also reviewing the damaged crown for fingerprints and DNA traces.
As of Sunday evening, the identities of the robbers and the full value of the stolen jewels had not yet been determined.
Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward, describing the operation as “professional, well-planned, and executed with military precision.”
The robbery has sparked widespread outrage in France and beyond. Cultural experts have called it a “national tragedy”, warning that the stolen artifacts may end up on the black market or in private collections abroad.
For many Parisians, the loss of their royal treasures — taken from one of the world’s most secure museums — has left the city both stunned and uneasy.
“It’s unbelievable,” said one museum employee. “If the Louvre can be robbed in daylight, nowhere is safe.”
