French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday that the jewels stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris were of “incalculable” value. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
- The French interior minister announced the theft of jewels in the Louvre museum.
- The robbery happened in broad daylight and lasted a short time.
- Thieves got into the exhibition through a window and an elevator.
- Nine pieces from Napoleon’s and the Empress’s collection were stolen.
- The police started an investigation, the museum was temporarily closed.
The Minister of Media France Inter, France Info and Le Monde said that “three or four” thieves targeted two exhibits in the “Gallerie d’Apollon” (Apollon Gallery) and the robbery took just seven minutes in broad daylight.
According to Reuters, the thieves broke in through a window and fled on motorbikes after the robbery, the French Interior Ministry said. According to the newspaper Le Parisien, around 9:30 a.m., two of them used a freight elevator from the side of the Seine embankment, where construction work is underway. They went straight to the hall in Apollon’s gallery. They allegedly stole a total of nine pieces from Napoleon’s and the Empress’ jewelry collection.
However, the largest Regent diamond, weighing more than 140 carats according to Le Parisien, was not stolen. The damage is currently being assessed based on photos of the missing pieces. One of the jewels was reportedly found outside. It is believed to be the crown of Empress Eugenie,
The police closed the museum, evacuated visitors from inside, and new arrivals were refused. Surrounding streets were closed, the Interior Ministry said. “An investigation has begun and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled. In addition to their market value, these items have incalculable monumental and historical value,” the ministry said in a statement.
The first information about the morning robbery at the Louvre Museum was published on the X network by the French Minister of Culture Rachida Datiová. The museum also reported on the X network that it had closed its exhibition spaces “for exceptional reasons”. Law enforcement agencies have been deployed to the scene in order to find out the exact circumstances of the robbery. The Louvre is a symbol of French culture and one of the most heavily guarded places in the French capital.
