The recent heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris was a brazen daylight robbery that targeted a collection of priceless French Crown Jewels.

Here are the full details based on initial reports and investigations:

The Incident

• Date and Time: Sunday, October 19, 2025, around 9:30 a.m. (30 minutes after the museum opened to the public).
• Location: The Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery), which houses the French Crown Jewels.
• Perpetrators: An estimated three to four masked individuals, described as a professional and well-organized team. Some were reportedly dressed in construction-style attire (e.g., hi-vis vests).
• Duration: The entire operation, from entry to escape, reportedly took as little as four to seven minutes.

How the Heist Unfolded

1. Entry: The thieves accessed the building’s façade on the Seine River side, which was near a construction zone. They used a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift or basket lift to reach a second-floor balcony window of the Apollo Gallery.
2. Breach: They used power tools (including a disc cutter or angle grinder) to cut through a glass window and gain entry. This triggered an alarm.
3. Theft: Once inside, they swiftly smashed two display cases in the gallery.
4. Escape: The intruders grabbed their haul, descended the lift, and fled the scene on motorbikes (reportedly TMAX maxi-scooters) waiting on the street, likely along the banks of the Seine.

What Was Stolen and Recovered

The thieves stole eight pieces of historic French Crown Jewels, with a combined estimated monetary value of €88 million (approx. $102 million), not including their inestimable historical and cultural value.

Stolen & Missing Items (Eight Pieces):

• From the Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense Sapphire Set: A sapphire diadem (tiara), a necklace, and a single earring.
• From the Empress Marie-Louise Emerald Set (a wedding gift from Napoleon Bonaparte): An emerald necklace and a pair of matching emerald earrings.
• From the Empress Eugénie Collection: A tiara and a large bodice bow brooch.
• A reliquary brooch.

Recovered Item:

• The Crown of Empress Eugénie (adorned with diamonds and emeralds) was reportedly dropped or abandoned by the thieves near the museum during their escape. It was recovered, though reportedly damaged.

Untouched Item:

• The famous Regent Diamond (one of the world’s largest) in the same gallery was not stolen.

The Investigation and Aftermath

• The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, with a specialized police unit (the BRB, or Brigade de Répression du Banditisme) and Interpol involved in the global hunt for the suspects and the jewels.
• Forensic teams found evidence at the scene, including an abandoned high-vis vest with DNA traces, as well as the mechanical lift, power tools, and the damaged crown.
• There is a serious concern among experts that the stolen jewels, particularly the diamonds and precious stones, may be dismantled or melted down quickly to eliminate their historical identity and make them easier to sell on the black market.
• The heist has caused significant political fallout in France, with calls for a major overhaul and immediate tightening of security protocols at the Louvre and other national museums. The museum’s president and director were called to face the parliament’s culture committee to answer questions regarding the security breach.