Daring Heist at Louvre Museum Shocks Tourists: Priceless Napoleon-Era Jewelry Stolen in Seven-Minute Operation

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that the theft operation lasted merely seven minutes.

When searching for iconic Paris attractions, the world-renowned Louvre Museum typically ranks just behind the Eiffel Tower. However, numerous tourists were disappointed on Sunday when they were turned away from the museum, unable to view masterpieces like the Mona Lisa due to an unexpected closure following an early-morning robbery.

Bewildered visitors gathered outside the museum's entrance, trying to understand the situation. "What's going on?" inquired one tourist. A policewoman standing guard at the barricades simply responded, "Watch the news."

France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati first announced the heist, stating, "A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum. No injuries reported. I'm on the site with museum staff and police." Interior Minister Laurent Nunez later provided additional details, revealing that the theft required only seven minutes and involved what he described as "priceless jewellery."

The museum cited "exceptional reasons" for its sudden closure. The Paris prosecutor's office promptly initiated an investigation and began assessing the extent of the theft.

According to sources who spoke to AFP, the perpetrators arrived on a scooter equipped with disc cutters and utilized a goods lift to reach their intended target. The thieves successfully escaped with jewelry items, whose exact value remains under assessment.

Reports indicate that the stolen items included jewels from the Napoleon era.

French newspaper Le Parisien provided further details, reporting that the thieves gained entry through the Seine-facing facade, which was undergoing construction. They accessed the Apollo Gallery using a service elevator, then broke display windows to steal nine pieces from the precious jewelry collection belonging to Napoleon and Empress Joséphine.

Images from the scene showed security barricades positioned around the museum, with traffic blocked near the iconic Louvre Pyramid. Gates along the Seine riverside were closed while police thoroughly investigated the area.

Videos captured tourists waiting outside the museum, which typically welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors daily and houses more than 33,000 artifacts.

This incident is not without precedent in the Louvre's history. In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum employee who concealed the painting beneath his coat and smuggled it out. The masterpiece was recovered two years later in Florence, Italy.