Shaky video emerges as thieves steal crown jewels from Louvre in 'four-minute' operation

In a minutes-long onslaught wrong nan world's most-visited museum, thieves rode a cherrypicker to nan Louvre, forced a model into nan Galerie d'Apollon — while visitors pressed shoulder-to-shoulder successful nan corridors — smashed show cases and fled pinch priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.

Shaky telephone imagination has emerged of a man, dressed successful a high-visibility vest, allegedly smashing into a show lawsuit successful nan museum's gallery.

It was among nan highest-profile depository thefts successful caller representation and comes arsenic Louvre labor person complained of worker and information understaffing.

One entity was recovered later connected Sunday extracurricular nan museum, according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati.

French regular Le Parisien reported it was nan emerald-studded crown of Napoleon III's woman Empress Eugénie — gold, diamonds and sculpted eagles — recovered conscionable beyond nan walls, broken.

The theft unfolded conscionable 250 metres from nan Mona Lisa, successful what Dati described arsenic "a four-minute operation". No 1 was hurt.

Images from nan segment showed confused visitors being steered retired of nan solid pyramid and adjoining courtyards arsenic officers closed adjacent streets on nan Seine.

Also visible was a assistance braced to nan Seine-facing destruction adjacent a building area — an bonzer vulnerability astatine a palace-museum.

A depository already nether strain

About 9.30am (6.30pm AEDT), respective intruders forced a window, trim panes pinch a disc cutter and went consecutive for nan vitrines, officials said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nan unit entered from extracurricular utilizing a handbasket lift.

The prime of target compounded nan shock. The vaulted Galerie d'Apollon successful nan Denon wing, capped by a ceiling painted for Louis XIV, displays a action of nan French crown jewels.

The thieves are believed to person approached via nan riverfront facade, wherever building is nether way, utilized a freight elevator to scope nan hall, took 9 pieces from a 23-item postulation linked to Napoleon and nan Empress, and made disconnected connected motorbikes, according to Le Parisien.

Daylight robberies during nationalist hours are rare.

Pulling 1 disconnected wrong nan Louvre — pinch visitors coming — ranks among Europe's astir audacious since Dresden's Green Vault depository successful 2019, and nan astir superior successful France successful much than a decade.

It besides collides pinch a deeper hostility nan Louvre has struggled to resolve: swelling crowds and stretched staff.

The depository delayed opening during a June unit walkout complete overcrowding and chronic understaffing.

Unions opportunity wide tourism leaves excessively fewer eyes connected excessively galore rooms and creates unit points wherever building zones, freight routes and visitant flows meet.

Security astir marquee useful remains tight — nan Mona Lisa is down bulletproof solid successful a bespoke, climate-controlled case.

It's unclear whether staffing levels played immoderate domiciled successful Sunday's breach.

The Louvre has a agelong history of thefts and attempted robberies. The astir celebrated came successful 1911, erstwhile nan Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia and recovered 2 years later successful Florence.

Today nan erstwhile royal palace holds a rotation telephone of civilisation: Leonardo's Mona Lisa; nan armless serenity of nan Venus de Milo; nan Winged Victory of Samothrace, wind-lashed connected nan Daru staircase; nan Code of Hammurabi's carved laws; Delacroix's Liberty Leading nan People; Géricault's The Raft of nan Medusa. More than 33,000 useful — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and nan classical world to Europe's masters — tie a regular tide of up to 30,000 visitors moreover arsenic investigators now statesman to expanse those gilded corridors for clues.

The heist spilled instantly into politics.

Far-right leader Jordan Bardella utilized it to onslaught President Emmanuel Macron, weakened astatine location and facing a fractured parliament.

"The Louvre is simply a world awesome of our culture," Bardella wrote connected X.

"This robbery, which allowed thieves to bargain jewels from nan French Crown, is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How acold will nan decay of nan authorities go?"

The disapproval lands arsenic Macron touts a decade-long "Louvre New Renaissance" scheme — astir €700 cardinal ($1.26 billion) to modernise infrastructure, easiness crowding and springiness nan Mona Lisa a dedicated assemblage by 2031.

For workers connected nan floor, nan alleviation has felt slower than nan pressure.

Forensic teams are examining nan tract of nan crime and adjoining entree points while a afloat inventory is taken, authorities said. Officials person described nan haul arsenic of "inestimable" humanities value.

Recovery whitethorn beryllium difficult.

"It's improbable these jewels will ever beryllium seen again," said Tobias Kormind, managing head of 77 Diamonds.

"Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognisable stones to evade detection, efficaciously erasing their provenance."

The Louvre closed for nan remainder of Sunday arsenic constabulary sealed gates, cleared courtyards and unopen adjacent streets on nan Seine.

Key questions still unanswered are really galore group took portion successful nan theft and whether they had wrong assistance, authorities said.

According to French media, location were 4 perpetrators: 2 dressed arsenic building workers successful yellowish information vests connected nan lift, and 2 each connected a scooter.

Investigators are reviewing CCTV from nan Denon helping and nan riverfront, inspecting nan handbasket assistance utilized to scope nan assemblage and interviewing unit who were connected tract erstwhile nan depository opened, authorities said.

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