Historic Theft at the Louvre: French Crown Jewels Vanish in Daylight Raid

According to Rokna, citing The Washington Post, In a dramatic daylight robbery, thieves have stolen priceless French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris, sparking a nationwide investigation and international outrage. According to French authorities, the assailants broke into the Apollo Gallery — home to the French crown jewels — through an exterior window early Sunday morning and fled the scene on motorbikes before police could respond.

The heist, described by officials as “highly professional and meticulously planned,” took place around 9:30 a.m. local time, when the museum was closed to the public. Security footage reportedly shows at least three masked individuals entering the gallery after disabling alarm systems and using specialized tools to breach protective glass cases.

France’s Interior Minister confirmed that the suspects escaped with several historic pieces of royal jewelry dating back to the reigns of Louis XIV and Napoleon III. The Louvre Museum has since been temporarily closed as investigators from France’s elite anti-organized crime unit (BRB) examine the scene.

Cultural officials called the theft “a devastating loss to French heritage,” while security experts criticized the museum’s outdated alarm and surveillance systems. The government has raised the national security alert for cultural institutions and museums housing valuable collections.

Authorities believe the thieves fled Paris in separate directions to avoid pursuit and may attempt to smuggle the jewels abroad. Interpol has been alerted, and border controls have been reinforced.

The Apollo Gallery, one of the Louvre’s most famous rooms, reopened in 2004 after extensive restoration. It housed not only royal regalia but also irreplaceable artifacts of France’s monarchical history — items that now remain missing.

The Interior Ministry has vowed to recover the stolen treasures “at any cost,” as global art crime experts warn that the jewels may be dismantled or sold on the black market within days.