What We Know: Masked Thieves Hit Paris' Louvre Museum in Daring Daylight Heist, Nine Jewels Stolen
In a major security breach at one of the world’s most closely guarded cultural institutions, masked thieves reportedly broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris early Sunday morning, making off with nine valuable items of jewellery from the museum’s famed Apollo Gallery -- home to the remnants of France’s historic crown jewels.
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| Value of the stolen jewels has not yet been assessed. Image Source: BPI News |
Dati said she was on site “alongside the museum teams and the police” as security forces sealed off the area.
Le vol commis au Louvre est une atteinte à un patrimoine que nous chérissons car il est notre Histoire.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 19, 2025
Nous retrouverons les œuvres et les auteurs seront traduits en justice. Tout est mis en œuvre, partout, pour y arriver, sous la conduite du parquet de Paris.…
According to initial reports in French media, three masked assailants used a goods lift to infiltrate the museum shortly after opening time.
Armed with small chainsaws, the group targeted the Apollo Gallery, an ornate room that faces the River Seine and houses some of the most prized possessions of the French monarchy.
This is the magnificent but proportionally under-secured Apollo Gallery.
— Muse (@xmuse_) October 19, 2025
The very room thieves entered during the Louvre heist.
Nine priceless treasures from France’s Crown Jewels vanished — for now.
Paris, France 🇫🇷 https://t.co/KWdNWYDKEu pic.twitter.com/nR7SVXgJp9
The audacious thieves escaped on a motor-scooter, disappearing into Parisian streets before law enforcement could intercept.
The total value of the stolen jewels has not yet been assessed, but authorities have already labelled the heist as “highly sophisticated.”
Thieves who stole priceless jewelry from the iconic Louvre will have a hard time reselling the items, the president of a major Paris-based auction house said https://t.co/zok5ftS68O pic.twitter.com/LanHIxpO3X
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 19, 2025
Footage circulating on social media shows confused visitors and security personnel locked inside the museum shortly after the robbery.
One user posted: “Just got to the Louvre and can see the security are locked inside! Everyone at the gates is being told that they cannot go in and that it is shut for today.”
Images show the museum’s iron gates shut tight, with hundreds of visitors turned away.
MOVIE HEIST AT THE LOUVRE
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 19, 2025
Three thieves stole nine jewels belonging to Napoleon and Empress Eugenie. They allegedly entered through a construction zone, cut the windows, and stole the French crown jewels in seven minutes. They escaped on a motorcycle.pic.twitter.com/2BDWyYUDgC
The Louvre, the largest museum in the world with over 73,000 square metres of exhibition space, attracts an average of 30,000 visitors daily. Originally constructed in 1546 as a royal palace, the Louvre became a public museum in 1793 during the French Revolution.
Today, it houses over 35,000 works of art, including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and France’s remaining crown jewels — once owned by monarchs from Francis I to Louis XIV.
"The Devil's Checkmate" by painter Friedrich Moritz August, circa 1831.
— Heritage Matters🔱 (@HeritageMatterz) October 19, 2025
Housed at the Louvre Museum, France.
🎥kopfkino . I pic.twitter.com/sx1uUg0Akz
While the museum had increased its security measures in recent weeks ahead of the Paris Olympic Opening Ceremony preparations, the heist raises serious questions about the effectiveness of those protocols.
So far, the Louvre has issued a terse statement: “The museum will remain closed today for exceptional reasons.” No further comment has been provided by the museum’s administration.
Frances Napoleonic crown Jewels have been stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris. pic.twitter.com/3ZhyIep2yl
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) October 19, 2025
Details about the identities of the perpetrators remain unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility. French police are combing through surveillance footage and visitor records from the morning to trace the suspects' movements and reconstruct the timeline of the heist.
This is a developing story.
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Macron Vows Swift Justice After Attack on French History in Brazen Louvre Heist