Overview

• Officials report a rapid operation between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m., with the culture minister citing four minutes for the theft and the interior minister estimating about seven.
• The group entered from the Seine-side construction zone, used a goods lift or ladder, cut open a window and display cases with power tools, and left without injuring anyone.
• Media citing investigators say nine items from the Napoleon and Empress collection were taken, including a necklace, a brooch and a diadem, while the 140‑carat Régent diamond was not taken.
• The suspects fled on motor scooters; police recovered one damaged piece near the museum reported as Empress Eugénie’s crown and have located at least one scooter.
• The Louvre was evacuated and closed for the day as the Paris prosecutor opened an organized gang theft probe, with investigators securing video footage and cutting tools.