Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France Inter that three or four thieves got into the museum from outside using a crane that was positioned on a truck.
“They broke a window, headed to several display cases and stole jewels … which have a real historical, priceless value,” Nunez said.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the thieves made off with eight priceless objects.
He said they did not target or steal the world-famous Regent diamond, which is housed in the same gallery the thieves hit, Beccuau said on BFM TV. Sotheby’s estimates the Regent is worth more than $60 million ($92.6m).
Police officers work by a basket crane used by thieves.Credit: AP
Forensics officers at the scene.Credit: Getty Images
Probe underway
A video posted on X by a museum guide showed visitors filing towards exits in the middle of their tour, initially unaware of the reason for the disruption.
Nunez said a probe had been opened, with a specialised police unit that has a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies such as this one tasked with running it.
No injuries were reported, Dati said.
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, said on X it would remain closed for the day for “exceptional reasons”.
In one of the most daring art thefts in history, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the museum in 1911 in a heist involving a former employee. He was eventually caught and the painting was returned to the museum two years later.
Questions on scrutiny
Earlier this year, officials at the Louvre requested urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate the museum’s ageing exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of art.
French police at the entrance to the Louvre following the heist.Credit: Getty Images
The area around the Louvre was sealed off.Credit: Getty Images
Dati said the issue of museum security was not new.
“For 40 years, there was little focus on securing these major museums, and two years ago, the president of the Louvre requested a security audit from the police prefect. Why? Because museums must adapt to new forms of crime,” she said.
“Today, it’s organised crime – professionals.”
AP, Reuters, Bloomberg