The Louvre Museum in Paris, a place considered a safe haven for Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo artworks, was recently robbed of its valuables. Sunday’s art gallery robbery shocked the world when video emerged of one of the suspects brazenly using a mini chainsaw to cut through a glass display case, AFP reported.
While it took the thieves almost ’30 seconds’ to break into the world’s most visited museum, they stole rare jewels and iconic valuables in a “four-minute operation”, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said. In the short video clip, the robber is seen wearing a reflective jacket over a black hooded sweatshirt. A video posted by French station BFMTV shows him carelessly cutting through the protective case.
Objects stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris
A total of nine valuable items were stolen from the French Crown Jewels. However, while fleeing, the robbers accidentally dropped one item — Empress Eugenia’s emerald-studded imperial crown. The crown once owned by the wife of Napoleon III. and which contained more than 1,300 diamonds, was found broken outside the museum, according to French authorities.
One of the museum’s most significant broad daylight thefts lasted about 10 minutes and happened about 30 minutes after opening, when visitors were already inside. According to officials, the four intruders broke in through a window, cut through the boards with a circular saw and went straight to the glass cases, making off with the loot in less than 10 minutes.
The items below were stolen from the Louvre Museum:
- Queen Marie-Amelia’s diamond and sapphire tiara, sapphire earrings and sapphire necklace. These valuables belonged to the last French queen and Queen Hortense.
- Napoleon Bonepart’s second wife Marie-Louise’s emerald necklace and earrings were also stolen.
- Among the precious jewels stolen was a large bodice bow that had belonged to the Empress Eugenie. It consists of 2,634 diamonds, which the museum bought in 2008 for $10.5 million.
- Empress Eugenie’s bodice knot.
In a statement, the ministry said, “Five museum agents present in the room and adjacent areas immediately intervened,” to alert the police and immediately intervened to get the visitors out of the gallery.
