Thieves steal ‘priceless’ jewelry from the Louvre in seven-minute raid

By Martin Goillandeau, Caitlin Danaher, CNN

(CNN) — 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 interior minister has said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told 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 houses the French Crown Jewels, as well as treasures including Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection.

The thieves forced open a window using an angle grinder and stole jewelry that has “sentimental value and is priceless,” the interior minister added.

There were “three or four perpetrators,” Nuñez said.

A detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled, the interior ministry said in a statement. “Beyond their market value, the items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” it added.

The robbery took only seven minutes, with the suspects fleeing on motorcycles, Nuñez told France Inter.

“Clearly, a team had been scouting the location. It was obviously a very experienced team that acted very, very quickly,” the interior minister said.

“I am confident that we will very quickly find the perpetrators and, above all, recover the stolen goods,” he added.

Minister of Culture Rachida Dati said the robbery took place as the museum opened on Sunday. The French interior ministry said the incident took place at 9:30 a.m. local time and that members of the public had been evacuated without incident.

“No injuries were reported. I am on site alongside museum staff and the police. Investigations are ongoing,” Dati said in a post on X.

The museum, which houses world-famous artworks including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, said it would remain closed on Sunday due to “exceptional reasons.”

The interior ministry later said the closure was a security measure to preserve evidence for the investigation.

Last year, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors, with tourists from the United States making up 13% of all guests, second only to the French.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne in Paris contributed reporting.