Two men have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris, authorities say.
Key Takeaways
- Two suspects in their 30s from the Paris suburb of Seine-St-Denis were arrested Saturday. One was caught attempting to flee the country at Charles de Gaulle airport, Le Parisien Newspaper reports.
- The thieves posed as construction workers and used a stolen moving truck fitted with an extendable lift to reach a first-floor window of the Louvre.
- The gang used disc cutters to open two disply cases in the Galerie d’Apollon, escaping on scooters after a theft that lasted only seven minutes.
- Eight historic jewels were taken, including a diamond-studded diadem once worn by Empress Eugénie and a necklace gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte.
- Investigators are analysing over 150 pieces of forensic evidence including DNA and fingerprints.
Key Background
The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, attracting over 9 million visitors annually. The Galerie d’Apollon, where the theft occurred, houses France’s most valuable crown jewels.
The robbery took place shortly after opening hours on a Sunday morning, when four men arrived at the Louvre in a stolen moving truck equipped with an extendable basket lift. Dressed as construction workers, two of them ascended to a first-floor window of the Galerie d’Apollon, bypassing public entry points and security checks.
Using cutting tools, they smashed into two display cases housing historic imperial jewels before fleeing on waiting scooters.
Among the eight pieces taken were a diamond diadem worn by Empress Eugénie and an emerald necklace once gifted by Napoleon to his second wife, Marie-Louise. French officials say the stolen items are of both immense financial and cultural value, and several are considered irreplaceable due to their historical provenance.
Although one piece – a crown – was dropped during the escape, the rest remain missing.
Big Number
€88 million: The estimated value of the eight pieces of royal jewellery stolen in the heist — equivalent to approximately AUD$157 million.
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