Overview

• The overnight break-in at the museum’s Gallery of Geology and Mineralogy was discovered Tuesday morning, and police were notified immediately.
• Investigators say intruders used an angle grinder and a blow torch to access displays before taking several native gold specimens of significant heritage value.
• Director Emmanuel Skoulios said the thieves knew exactly where to go and what to take, describing the team as extremely professional with specialized equipment.
• An unnamed police source told Le Parisien the museum’s alarms and surveillance were disabled in a July cyberattack, though it remains unclear if that enabled the theft.
• The museum has enhanced surveillance, closed the affected gallery, and is checking for additional losses; no arrests have been announced, and the incident follows recent heists including a major porcelain theft in Limoges.