The Louvre in Paris was shut on Sunday after a group of masked men broke in and fled on scooters with eight pieces of jewellery worth millions.
The robbery reportedly took place shortly after opening time on Sunday morning, when thieves with small chainsaws gained access to the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, home to France’s crown jewels, according to French media.
It has been reported the jewels once belonged to French military leader and statesman Napoleon and his wife Josephine Bonaparte.
Beyond their commercial value, the ministry says the items have an “incalculable” historical and cultural value.
The thieves made off with eight priceless objects, with a ninth that they tried to steal recovered at the scene, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
The group did not target or steal the world-famous Regent diamond, which is housed in the same gallery the thieves hit, Beccuau said on BFM TV. Sotheby's estimates the Regent is worth over $60 million.
The robbery raises awkward questions about security at the museum, where officials had already sounded the alarm about a lack of investment at the world-famous site, home to artworks such as the Mona Lisa, that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024.
"The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History," President Emmanuel Macron said on X. "We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice."
The suspects are believed to have used an external construction lift — installed for ongoing renovation work—to reach the gallery on the River Seine side of the museum.
They then broke windows to enter and escaped on a motor scooter.
It reportedly took the thieves just seven minutes to complete the heist, from the moment they arrived to their getaway.
A precise list of what was stolen is being drawn up.
It is thought to include a necklace and brooch belonging to Napoleon and Josephine.
In their escape, the thieves dropped the Eugénie Crown, a 19th century diamond and emerald-encrusted piece worth millions which was found broken by the side of the building.
According to Louvre's website, the crown features golden eagles and is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds.
Video footage taken this morning appears to show security staff and members of the public stuck inside the museum.
One person wrote on X: "Just got to the Louvre and can see the security are locked inside! Everyone at the gates is being told that they cannot go in and that it is shut for today."
Posting on its official X account, the museum said it "will remain closed today for exceptional reasons."
The Parisian Public Prosecutor's Office has confirmed an investigation has been opened into a suspected "organised theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime".
It confirms there has been a "theft of jewellery" at the Louvre and that the investigation is being supported by an investigative service that fights illegal trafficking of cultural goods.
"The damage is currently being assessed," the prosecutor's office says. "Investigations are ongoing."
France’s culture minister Rachida Dati confirmed the robbery on social media this morning.
“A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” she wrote.
“No injuries to report. I am on site alongside the museum teams and the police. Investigations underway.”
The Louvre is the largest museum in the world with nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space — more than the size of ten football pitches.
It was originally built in 1546 as a palace for the French royal family. King Francis I, its first resident, was a lover of art and intended the Louvre to showcase his collection.
The Louvre officially opened as a public museum in 1793 after the French Revolution.
