The criminals broke the display cases with angle grinders and ran off with French crown jewels
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| A French forensics officer examines a window and balcony of the Louvre Museum in Paris on October 19, 2025. © Kiran Ridley / Getty Images |
RT reports: A video circulating on social media shows thieves breaking into the Louvre and stealing French crown jewels in broad daylight.
In a short cellphone video, a person wearing a bright yellow vest can be seen tampering with a display case.
According to France 24, the thieves drove up to the museum on scooters Saturday, entered the Galerie d’Apollon using an extendable powered ladder, and broke through the window and display cases with angle grinders.
Donc on peut braquer le musée le plus connu de la planète en gilet jaune un dimanche matin en pleine journée. 🤦🏻♂️#Braquage #LMDL #Louvre pic.twitter.com/1Dljy85oIn
— Noesis (@EntreDeMondes) October 19, 2025
The Culture Ministry said eight artifacts were stolen, including a necklace Napoleon gave his wife, Empress Marie Louise, and the diadem of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
They also attempted to steal Eugenie’s crown, but it was later found near the museum in a “damaged” state.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the thieves were likely hired to steal specific items or carried out the crime to sell the gems for money laundering purposes.
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to recover the artifacts and bring those responsible to justice. He added that the Louvre will tighten its security measures.
The Louvre Museum in Paris has been closed for the day after a robbery on Sunday, local officials have said. Unconfirmed media reports claimed that several criminals stole nine pieces from the Napoleonic jewelry collection.
The incident was reported by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who said on X that “a robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum.” She added that there are no reports of injuries and that a police investigation is underway. The minister provided no further details.
The museum itself said that it will remain closed for the day due to “exceptional reasons.”
👀 This morning, the Louvre in Paris was broken into and Napoleon's jewels were stolen. pic.twitter.com/BBfU9mWOKu
— Conflict Radar (@Conflict_Radar) October 19, 2025
The newspaper Le Parisien reported, citing a preliminary investigation, that several hooded criminals broke into the world’s most visited art museum through a building where construction work is ongoing, and then used a freight elevator to access a room in the Apollo Gallery, which houses part of France’s historic royal jewelry.
The thieves reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress, including a necklace, a brooch, a tiara, and several other items, according to the paper. However, the 140-carat Regent Diamond, estimated to be worth more than $60 million, reportedly remained in place.
Le Parisien said that one of the stolen items, which appears to be a broken crown of Empress Eugenie, the spouse of Napoleon III, was found outside the museum.
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| Crown of Empress Eugenie. © Wikipedia |
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez later told reporters that the entire heist took only seven minutes, meaning the criminals “had been clearly scouting.” He acknowledged that the authorities “can’t prevent everything,” adding that there is “great vulnerability in French museums.”
The last theft from the Louvre dates back to 1983, when two Renaissance metalwork pieces – a ceremonial helmet and breastplate — were stolen. They were recovered in Belgium in 2021.
The most famous Louvre robbery, however, happened in 1911, when an Italian tradesman named Vincenzo Peruggia stole Leonardo da Vinci’s 'Mona Lisa', hiding it under his smock. The painting was missing for two years, a heist that helped make it the world’s most recognized artwork.
The Louvre attracts around 9 million visitors each year, and houses more than 615,000 objects, including about 35,000 artworks on public display, spanning from ancient civilizations to the 19th century.