Robbery at the Louvre Museum Sparks Manhunt
A large-scale manhunt is currently underway in Paris following the theft of nine valuable exhibits from the Louvre, which occurred in broad daylight within a mere seven minutes.
At around 9:30 a.m. local time on October 19, a group identified as “highly organized criminals” invaded the world’s most famous museum, blending in with the throngs of tourists. They parked their scooters near the Apollo Museum (Galerie d’Apollon) and accessed the museum via a basket lift that was transported on a truck.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that while the exact number of robbers is uncertain, reports suggest that three or four individuals forcibly entered the building, breaking a window to access display cases containing prized jewelry. Their focus was on two significant collections: those belonging to Napoleon and Empress Josephine.
Interestingly, the area of the Louvre targeted was undergoing construction at the time, marking this as the first robbery in a decade.
Authorities are in a “race against time” to recover the items before they can be dismantled or sold off. The stolen pieces include:
- A tiara from the Queen Marie Amélie and Queen Hortense jewelry set
- A necklace from the same sapphire jewelry set
- One earring from the Queen Marie Amélie and Queen Hortense set
- An emerald necklace associated with Marie Louise
- An emerald earring set for Marie Louise
- A brooch known as the holy relic
- Empress Eugenie’s tiara
- Empress Eugenie’s large brooch
Among the stolen items was also the Eugénie crown, richly decorated with thousands of diamonds and emeralds, once worn by Napoleon III’s empress. This crown, however, was later discarded and discovered in fragments on the street.
The thieves are thought to be highly skilled, potentially part of an international network of criminals, which adds a layer of complexity to the investigation.
