Thieves steal crown jewels in 4 minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris

In a minuteslong strike Sunday inside the worlds mostvisited museum thieves rode a basket lift to the Louvre forced a window into the Galerie dApollon while tourists pressed shouldertoshoulder in the corridors smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels officials saidIt was among the highestprofile museum thefts in recent memory and comes as Louvre employees have complained of worker and security understaffingOne object was later found outside the museum according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati French daily Le Parisien reported it was the emeraldstudded crown of Napoleon IIIs wife Empress Eugeacutenie gold diamonds and sculpted eagles recovered just beyond the walls brokenDati called the strike the work of professionals describing it on TF1 TV network as a fourminute operation carried out without violenceImages from the scene showed confused tourists being steered out of the glass pyramid and adjoining courtyards as officers closed nearby streets along the SeineAlso visible was a lift braced to the Seinefacing facade near a construction zone an extraordinary vulnerability at a palacemuseumA museum already under strainAround 930 am several intruders forced a window cut panes with a disc cutter and went straight for the vitrines officials said Interior Minister Laurent Nuntildeez said the crew entered from outside using a basket liftThe choice of target compounded the shock The vaulted Galerie dApollon in the Denon wing capped by a ceiling painted for Louis XIV displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels The thieves are believed to have approached via the riverfront facade where construction is underway used a freight elevator to reach the hall took nine pieces from a 23item collection linked to Napoleon and the Empress and made off on motorbikes according to Le ParisienDaylight robberies during public hours are rare Pulling one off inside the Louvre with visitors present ranks among Europes most audacious since Dresdens Green Vault museum in 2019 and the most serious in France in more than a decadeIt also collides with a deeper tension the Louvre has struggled to resolve swelling crowds and stretched staff The museum delayed opening during a June staff walkout over overcrowding and chronic understaffing Unions say mass tourism leaves too few eyes on too many rooms and creates pressure points where construction zones freight routes and visitor flows meetSecurity around marquee works remains tight the Mona Lisa is behind bulletproof glass in a bespoke climatecontrolled caseIts unclear whether staffing levels played any role in Sundays breachThe Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies The most famous came in 1911 when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia and recovered two years later in FlorenceToday the former royal palace holds a roll call of civilization Leonardos Mona Lisa the armless serenity of the Venus de Milo the Winged Victory of Samothrace windlashed on the Daru staircase the Code of Hammurabis carved laws Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People Geacutericaults The Raft of the Medusa More than 33000 works from Mesopotamia Egypt and the classical world to Europes masters draw a daily tide of up to 30000 visitors even as investigators now begin to sweep those gilded corridors for cluesPolitics at the doorThe heist spilled instantly into politics Farright leader Jordan Bardella used it to attack President Emmanuel Macron weakened at home and facing a fractured parliamentThe Louvre is a global symbol of our culture Bardella wrote on X This robbery which allowed thieves to steal jewels from the French Crown is an unbearable humiliation for our country How far will the decay of the state goThe criticism lands as Macron touts a decadelong Louvre New Renaissance plan about EUR 700 million to modernise infrastructure ease crowding and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031 For workers on the floor the relief has felt slower than the pressureWhat we know and dontForensic teams are examining the site of the crime and adjoining access points while a full inventory is taken authorities said Officials have described the haul as of inestimable historical valueThe Louvre closed for the rest of Sunday as police sealed gates cleared courtyards and shut nearby streets along the SeineKey questions still unanswered are how many people took part in the theft and whether they had inside assistance authorities said According to Le Parisien there were four perpetrators two dressed as construction workers in yellow safety vests on the lift and two each on a scooterInvestigators are reviewing CCTV from the Denon wing and the riverfront inspecting the basket lift used to reach the gallery and interviewing staff who were on site when the museum opened authorities saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability 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