The Louvre has closed for the day after Napoleon-era jewels were stolen from the iconic museum in Paris that is home to some of the world’s most iconic historical artefacts, including the Mona Lisa. The robbers entered the museum using a hydraulic ladder and made away with “priceless jewellery,” said France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, calling it a “major robbery”.
The robbery occurred around 9:30 am. The intruders entered via the under-construction Seine-facing facade and used a hydraulic ladder to reach the Apollo gallery, reported French daily Le Parisien. The Apollo Gallery had a selection of the French Crown Jewels on display at that time.
They broke in by cutting the windowpanes with “a disc cutter,” said Nunez, suggesting that a team had supposedly done scouting before the daring heist. The entire operation “lasted seven minutes,” he said.
The robbers made away with “nine pieces” from the jewellery collection of “Napoleon and the Empress,” according to Le Parisien. One stolen jewel was later found outside the museum, it said.
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