Napoleon's jewels stolen from the Louvre: Macron promises to arrest the culprits

Yesterday, October 19, Napoleon's jewels were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, dubbed "the heist of the year." Eight pieces of the French crown were stolen by four men who acted between 9.30 and 9.40 in the morning, taking advantage of security breaches at the museum. The French Gendarmerie is on the trail of the suspects, and authorities promise that those responsible will be brought to justice.

The course of events

According to an initial reconstruction, the thieves, perhaps foreigners, arrived from the Lungosenna aboard two large Yamaha T-Max scooters and a van with a lift. Yes. I am disguised as workers wearing yellow vests to blend in with the construction site near the museum. They are They entered the Apollo Gallery, on the first floor of the Denon Wing, by forcing the window with a circular saw. They broke two display cases and took the jewels, leaving seven minutes later.

The crown of Empress Eugenie, damaged during the theft, has been found and entrusted to the expertsThe other eight pieces, of “inestimable historical value” according to experts, include the Empress's tiara, the sapphire necklace of the last Queen of France, Marie-Amélie, and Hortense de Beauharnais, the mother of Napoleon III.

Commissioned by Louis XIV, the Apollo Gallery houses the royal collection of gems and the Crown Diamonds, approximately 800 pieces. The thieves used an angle grinder to open the display cases. The scene was partly filmed by a cell phone, probably belonging to a visitor. A yellow vest was found near the museum.

The stolen goods and the suspects

The stolen pieces are difficult to resell. Investigators suspect that the perpetrators acted on behalf of a sponsor or to launder money through precious stones. The type of blow suggests the presence of a internal basis and previous inspections for know the security shifts and the cameras.

Government reactions

Marine Le Pen he reported that “our museums are not protected from threats”, while the president of the National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, spoke of “unbearable humiliation for France”. President Emmanuel Macron has promised that the culprits will be caught and the works returned.

Investigations underway

Currently, approximately sixty investigators from the Anti-Banditry Brigade of the Judicial Police and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property are following the suspects. According to the Ministry of Culture, the alarms were going off, but it remains to be clarified whether the guards have perceived the reports and whether they were shot in the affected room.