Overview
- The theft removed eight 19th‑century crown jewels worth about €88 million when four men posed as construction workers used a lift to enter the Galerie d'Apollon and fled on motor scooters.
- Investigators arrested four suspects from Aubervilliers and searched homes, cellars and garages but have not recovered the jewels and say leads from phone images and a probe to Belgium remain inconclusive.
- France's Culture Ministry issued a 33‑measure security plan and the Louvre reopened the Galerie d'Apollon in July 2026 without the jewels while remaining valuables were moved to an undisclosed secure location.
- Louvre director Christophe Leribault warns the building faces rapid decay and possible prolonged closure unless the 'Louvre – Nouvelle Renaissance' program, costed at roughly €1.15 billion, secures major funding.
- Experts say recovery chances hinge on whether the thieves acted alone and hid the jewels locally, while the worst case—diamonds removed and sold through international markets like Antwerp—would make recovery much harder and could force museums to display replicas or withdraw vulnerable works.