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The Louvre Museum in Paris, formerly a royal palace, has been closed after a dramatic jewel robbery this morning.
The French Interior Ministry said several people broke into the Apollo Gallery using a motorized lift of the type used for exterior building or wiring repairs and stole jewels described as being of “incalculable” value. The thieves carried small chainsaws and escaped on a scooter.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said no one was hurt. Culture Minister Rachida Dati confirmed that one of the stolen items was later found dropped outside the museum, and that an investigation is underway.
The robbery happened around 9:30 a.m. local time, just half an hour after the museum had opened. Visitors were quickly evacuated after the alarm was raised, causing confusion near the glass pyramid entrance.
The Louvre rarely suffers thefts because of its tight security. The most famous case was in 1911 when the Mona Lisa was stolen and recovered three years later in Florence, Italy.
Other thefts have included 16th-century armor in 1983, later found in 2011, and a missing 19th-century painting by Camille Corot in 1998 that has never been recovered.
Police say the gang used a furniture lift to reach a first-floor window, smashed two display cases, and fled on motorbikes. The stolen jewels were part of what remains of France’s crown jewels. France has been a republic since 1792.
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