Paris: The Louvre Museum in Paris was evacuated and closed on Sunday after a dramatic daylight robbery in which thieves reportedly stole priceless jewellery from the Napoleonic collection.
France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed the incident, saying there were no injuries and that investigations were underway.
Robbery during opening hours
According to French media reports, the robbery occurred shortly after the museum opened its doors on Sunday morning. Police sources quoted by Le Parisien said the suspects gained access to the building from the Seine River side, where renovation work is currently taking place.
Using a freight elevator that led directly to the targeted gallery, two men broke windows to enter while a third accomplice stayed outside.
An investigator described the theft as “meticulously planned”, adding that the thieves took nine pieces from the Emperor Napoleon and Empress Joséphine’s jewellery collection, including a necklace and a brooch. The collection, assembled after their coronation in 1804, is regarded as one of France’s most historically valuable, featuring items once seized from European royalty during the Napoleonic era.
Chaos as visitors evacuated
The Louvre confirmed an unscheduled closure “for exceptional reasons” as hundreds of visitors were ushered out of the premises. Videos shared online showed large crowds being evacuated from the museum’s glass pyramid entrance.
One tourist told The Sun, “We got to the plaza around 10am and there were thousands queuing. Staff started saying the Louvre was closed because someone had tried to steal something inside. Ten minutes later more police turned up and began evacuating everyone, it got pretty chaotic.”
Another British visitor described the atmosphere as “like something out of The Da Vinci Code,” adding that police sirens and heavy security surrounded the building for nearly half an hour.
Culture Minister Dati said she was at the site “alongside the museum teams and police”, as detectives launched an investigation into how the gang managed to infiltrate one of the world’s most heavily guarded museums.
