PARIS, France – The Louvre Museum was the scene of a brazen robbery Sunday morning during an official opening ceremony. Unknown assailants broke into a room housing rare jewelry and stole nine precious pieces from the Napoleonic amethyst collection.
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced that the museum was closed “for exceptional reasons” following the incident. She confirmed that no injuries occurred and that she was present at the site with security and police teams.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed that the thieves used a truck-mounted crane to smash the Apollo Hall’s windows before fleeing on a motorcycle. He noted that the operation took less than seven minutes.
Investigations are ongoing and the police have mobilized their teams to arrest the perpetrators and recover the stolen goods.
