In a stunningly audacious operation, thieves executed a precision heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris on the morning of October 19, 2025, making off with priceless pieces of French imperial jewelry in a raid that lasted only minutes.
The robbery unfolded around 9:30 a.m. local time, shortly after the museum had opened its doors to the public. According to French authorities, a team of three or four thieves used a mechanized lift or "basket lift" mounted on a truck to reach a first-floor balcony on the museum's Seine-facing facade. Disguised as construction workers in yellow safety vests, they cut through windowpanes with a disc cutter or angle grinder to gain entry directly into the Apollo Gallery. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the incident as a professional "four-minute operation," noting the thieves acted calmly, without violence or panic, before fleeing on motorbikes or scooters.
The thieves targeted two high-security display cases in the Apollo Gallery, which houses the French crown jewels. They successfully stole eight priceless items, most of which belonged to 19th-century French empresses. The stolen pieces include a tiara, necklace, and a single earring from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense; an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from the set of Empress Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I; and the tiara and a large corsage bow brooch of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. A ninth item, the crown of Empress Eugénie, was recovered damaged just outside the museum walls, apparently dropped during the escape. The crown is an ornate gold piece featuring 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds.
The successful heist has raised significant questions about security at the world's most-visited museum. The robbery took place in a gallery located just 250 meters from the Mona Lisa, in a museum that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024. The fact that thieves were able to use a construction hoist to break in during public opening hours has been described as "unbelievable" by some observers, highlighting "obvious security gaps". This incident occurs in the context of longstanding concerns from staff and unions about chronic understaffing and the pressures of mass tourism, with one union source noting the equivalent of 200 positions had been cut over the past 15 years. The museum had also delayed its opening in June 2025 due to a staff walkout over these very issues.
A major manhunt is underway for the thieves, who remained at large as of Sunday evening. Forensic teams have descended upon the Louvre to gather evidence, and investigators are reviewing CCTV footage from the Denon wing and the riverfront. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the heist as an "attack on a heritage that we cherish" and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. The theft has also spilled into French politics, with far-right leader Jordan Bardella calling the robbery an "unbearable humiliation for our country". The incident is considered one of the most audacious museum thefts in Europe since the 2019 robbery at Dresden's Green Vault museum.