PARIS – In an audacious heist at the Louvre Museum early Sunday, thieves executed a daring plan using a basket lift to gain entry. They broke through a window, shattered display cases, and made off with jewels of immeasurable worth, according to France’s interior minister. The museum, a major global attraction, remained closed for the day to facilitate an investigation.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced the incident on X, detailing that the robbery occurred at the museum’s opening. The Louvre cited “exceptional reasons” for its closure, ensuring that no one was harmed during the event.

The Interior Ministry reported that the burglary unfolded around 9:30 a.m. when multiple perpetrators forced open a window, looted jewels from showcases, and made their getaway on motorcycles. The ministry is conducting forensic examinations while cataloging the stolen artifacts, emphasizing their significant historical and cultural value. Dati and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez were present alongside museum officials.

Authorities swiftly secured the premises, evacuating visitors and barring entry to new arrivals. The surrounding streets were also closed off as part of the security measures, the Interior Ministry stated.

Speaking on France Inter, Nuñez characterized the theft as a “major robbery” and detailed how the perpetrators gained access using a basket lift. The entire operation lasted a mere seven minutes, with the intruders employing a disc cutter to breach the glass. He noted that the group seemed well-prepared, suggesting prior reconnaissance of the site.

Separately, the Interior Ministry specified the location as the Galerie d’Apollon. Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery. After breaking windows, they reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress, the paper said. Le Parisien also reported that one stolen jewel was later found outside the museum. Citing early investigative findings, the paper said it was believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown and that it had been broken.

The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous was in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.

Home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters — the Louvre’s star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Galerie d’Apollon displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels. The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.