Overview

• Eight 19th‑century jewels are confirmed stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon, and Empress Eugénie’s crown was recovered nearby in damaged condition.
• The thieves used an external nacelle to access a window, cut glass and two high‑security vitrines with a disc cutter, and fled on powerful scooters in about seven to eight minutes.
• Investigators from the BRB and the cultural‑property unit OCBC are leading a judicial probe for organized theft, with roughly 60 officers deployed and four suspects at large.
• Authorities say alarms on the window and vitrines triggered, but it remains to be established whether guards heard them, as a Cour des comptes pre‑report cites surveillance gaps at the Louvre.
• The museum stayed closed on Monday with reopening not expected before Wednesday, while ministers announced an administrative inquiry and issued instructions to tighten security at cultural sites.