Priceless historic jewellery has been stolen from the Louvre Museum by experienced robbers who used an angle grinder to break into one of the building’s most ornate rooms.
The world’s most visited museum was closed on Sunday following the heist. France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, told France Inter that jewels “of unmeasurable heritage value” had been taken in what he described as a professional operation.
The thieves are believed to have struck at around 9:30am on Sunday and took only seven minutes to escape with their haul.
The gang is thought to have approached the museum through a section of the site that is currently under renovation. A truck was used to access the premises before a window was cut open with the grinder.
The minister explained that the museum had been closed in order to preserve as much evidence as possible, and a theft investigation has been launched.
France’s Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, wrote on social media: “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum. No injuries reported. I’m on site with museum staff and police.“
