Paris
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Thieves have stolen “priceless” jewelry from the Louvre in Paris, the world’s most-visited museum, in an audacious seven-minute raid on Sunday, the French inside minister has stated.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez instructed radio station France Inter: “A major robbery took place this morning in the Apollo Room. Individuals entered the Louvre Museum from outside, using a external freight elevator that was positioned on a truck.”
The Apollo Room homes the French Crown Jewels, in addition to treasures together with Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel assortment.
The thieves pressured open a window utilizing an angle grinder and stole jewelry that has “sentimental value and is priceless,” the inside minister added.
There had been “three or four perpetrators,” Nuñez stated.
Minister of Culture Rachida Dati instructed French TV station TF1 that one piece of jewelry had been discovered close to the Louvre and was being evaluated.
An in depth listing of the stolen objects is being compiled, the inside ministry stated in a press release. “Beyond their market value, the items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” it added.
The theft took solely seven minutes, with the suspects fleeing on bikes, Nuñez instructed France Inter.
“Clearly, a team had been scouting the location. It was obviously a very experienced team that acted very, very quickly,” the inside minister stated.
“I am confident that we will very quickly find the perpetrators and, above all, recover the stolen goods,” he added.
The French inside ministry stated the incident came about at 9:30 a.m. native time and that members of the public had been evacuated with out incident.
Dati stated the theft had taken place as the museum opened. “No injuries were reported. I am on site alongside museum staff and the police. Investigations are ongoing,” Dati stated in a submit on X.
The museum, which homes world-famous artworks together with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, stated it could stay closed on Sunday attributable to “exceptional reasons.”
The inside ministry later stated the closure was a safety measure to protect proof for the investigation.
Last 12 months, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million guests, with vacationers from the United States making up 13% of all visitors, second solely to the French.
This is a growing story and shall be up to date.