On Tuesday, an audacious robbery took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Thieves made off with crown jewels valued at an estimated €88 million (£76 million). Nearly everything they took, sometimes in less than seven minutes, was never returned. The armed crusaders deployed sniper rifles, previously banned assault weapons, and with calculated planning managed to flee in the daytime.
At approximately 9:34 a.m., the thieves smashed an unsecured window on the museum’s balcony to gain entry. Wearing high-viz vests, they marched up to the Apollo Gallery. They rented a stolen Sperry truck that had a 30-meter (90-foot) extending ladder and lift. While two gang members drove the truck, the other two were able to scamper up to the first-floor gallery in short order. They only waited there for a total of 3 minutes and 58 seconds.
The thieves barreled into the gallery and immediately got down to business. To gain access, they reportedly used powerful disc cutters to smash through two display cases, absconding with eight jewel-encrusted masterpieces. One of those stolen items happened to be a unique emerald and diamond necklace. This stunning work was originally owned by Napoleon I who gave it to his second spouse, Marie Louise. The crew made off with an amazing diadem, or headdress, studded with 212 pearls and almost 2,000 diamonds. This masterwork originally belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
When they made their escape, one of the robbers had the misfortune of dropping a diamond-and emerald-encrusted crown. This slip can offer key corroborating testimony that can make all the difference for investigators pursuing an officer-involved death case.
French authorities are working around the clock examining over 150 different DNA samples and fingerprints. They’re looking for other evidence too, like a helmet worn by the thieves, angle grinders, disc cutters and safety equipment that was left behind. The museum’s internal alarm systems were still working as designed, going off within moments of the start of the break-in and notifying staff right away.
Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s director, said that the only camera ever installed there was pointed toward the west. It didn’t extend over the balcony where the intruder entered. This restriction can make the search and investigation quite challenging but did not stop ambitious French prosecutors from stating that they believe they will recover all of the jewels.
“The robbers will not really dare move very far and we can recover the jewels if we can move fast enough.” – Laurence des Cars
In an intriguing twist, a character from the popular children’s book series “Appelez Fantômette” had previously described a remarkably similar heist. The fictional character outlined a simple plan: “All you have to do is place a ladder up against the wall and climb up to the first floor. Indeed, there is only one floor. Then, you break a window-pane. You then move 10 feet, break the glass case with a bloodied hammer and bingo! You have your hands on the objet. Ah, if only I weren’t caged up in here! I’ll bet you I could do it in a heartbeat.
Investigations continue and Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has made it her mission to find fresh leads. So far, she is staying optimistic about recovering the stolen works. The thieves carried out the caper with a breathtaking efficiency. This infamous heist calls into question how secure even the most renowned prestigious museums with their own guard divisions really are.