Chicago – October 20, 2025
Thieves have stolen “priceless” jewelry from the Louvre in Paris, the world’s most-visited museum, in an audacious seven-minute raid on Sunday, the French interior minister has said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told radio station France Inter: “A major robbery took place this morning in the Apollo Gallery. Individuals entered the Louvre museum from outside, using an external freight elevator that was positioned on a truck.”
The Apollo Gallery houses the French Crown Jewels, as well as treasures including Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection.
Two high-security display cases were targeted, and eight of the nine items taken remain unaccounted for, including a tiara and necklace worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, the French culture ministry said in a statement.
The thieves forced open a window using an angle grinder and stole jewelry that has “sentimental value and is priceless,” the interior minister added.
Four perpetrators appear to have been involved in the theft, who were unarmed, but threatened the guards with the angle grinders, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
