Jewels stolen from Louvre museum in Paris valued at $102m: Prosecutor

"Royal jewels stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris in a brazen daylight robbery over the weekend have been valued at more than $100m (some 88 million euros), a French prosecutor said. It is important to remember that this damage is an economic damage, but it is nothing compared to the historical damage caused by this theft, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in an interview on Tuesday."

"The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum, apparently dropped by the thieves during their getaway. The daring heist involved four masked thieves using a crane to smash an upstairs window at the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre, home to France's remaining crown jewels, and make off with jewellery during a daylight robbery that took just seven minutes and involved a getaway on motorcycles."

Eight pieces of royal jewellery were stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery. The stolen items included a tiara and earrings from the sets of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense. The Louvre curator estimated losses at €88 million (about $102 million). Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the economic loss is significant but the historical damage is far greater. The crown of Empress Eugenie was recovered outside the museum, apparently dropped during the getaway. Four masked thieves used a crane to smash an Apollo Gallery window and escaped on motorcycles. The Louvre director will appear before the Senate's culture committee amid security concerns.

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