Historic Louvre Heist: Museum Closed as Authorities Hunt for Thieves Who Stole Imperial Jewels in Daylight Robbery

The masked thieves dropped the crown of the Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, during their escape.

France's iconic Louvre museum remained closed for a second consecutive day on Monday as authorities intensified their search for the perpetrators behind a brazen daylight jewelry heist.

Officials revealed that 60 investigators are working on the case, pursuing the theory that an organized crime syndicate orchestrated Sunday's theft of nine valuable jewelry pieces. One item—a crown adorned with over 1,000 diamonds—was dropped by the thieves during their hasty exit.

The perpetrators arrived around 9:30 am (0730 GMT), merely 30 minutes after the museum opened. They executed the heist with remarkable efficiency, completing it in just seven minutes, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The criminals employed a truck equipped with an extendable ladder, similar to those used by moving companies, positioning it beneath the museum's Apollo Gallery which houses the imperial jewelry collection. They scaled the ladder, used cutting tools to breach a window, and accessed the display cases containing the treasures.

The world-renowned museum, home to countless masterpieces including the Mona Lisa, announced its continued closure on its website: "Following yesterday's robbery at the Louvre, the museum regrets to inform you that it will remain closed to the public today."

American tourist Jesslyn Ehlers, 38, expressed her disappointment as she and her husband attempted to rebook their tickets. "We're just kind of disappointed. We've been planning this for a very long time," she lamented.

Prior to the closure announcement, lengthy queues of visitors had formed across the museum's pyramid courtyard and under the entrance gallery's arches.

Carol Fuchs, an elderly tourist from the United States who had been waiting for more than 45 minutes, commented on the thieves' audacity: "The audacity, coming through a window," adding pessimistically, "Will they ever be found? I doubt it. I think it's long gone."

Among the missing treasures are several pieces of immense historical significance. The thieves dropped and damaged Empress Eugenie's crown, which features 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, during their escape.

Eight priceless jewelry items remain missing, according to the culture ministry. These include an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon to his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem once belonging to Empress Eugenie that contains nearly 2,000 diamonds.

Also stolen was a necklace formerly owned by Marie-Amelie, France's last queen, adorned with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.

Alexandre Giquello, president of the leading auction house Drouot, noted that the stolen items would be impossible to sell in their current state.

The heist has reignited concerns about inadequate security measures at France's museums. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin acknowledged security failures, stating, "What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, giving France a terrible image."

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez conceded that museum security represents a "major weak spot" following several recent robberies from French cultural institutions.

The entire operation lasted just seven minutes and appears to have been conducted by experienced criminals, possibly "foreigners," according to Nunez. Museum staff intervention forced the thieves to flee, abandoning some of their equipment.

This marks the first theft from the Louvre since 1998, when a Camille Corot painting disappeared without a trace.

The incident has intensified debate over what critics describe as insufficient security at national museums, which are reportedly less protected than banks yet increasingly targeted by criminals.

Last month, thieves broke into Paris's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples valued at $700,000. That same month, criminals made off with two dishes and a vase from a museum in Limoges, with losses estimated at $7.6 million.