Louvre heist: Crown jewels stolen in 4-minute daytime raid

"In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the world's most-visited museum, thieves rode a basket lift to the Louvre, forced a window into the Galerie d'Apollon while tourists pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in the corridors smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said. It was among the highest-profile museum thefts in recent memory and comes as Louvre employees have complained of worker and security understaffing."

"One object was later found outside the museum, according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. French daily Le Parisien reported it was the emerald-studded crown of Napoleon III's wife Empress Eugenie gold, diamonds and sculpted eagles recovered just beyond the walls, broken. Dati called the strike the work of professionals, describing it on TF1 TV network as a four-minute operation carried out without violence."

"Images from the scene showed confused tourists being steered out of the glass pyramid and adjoining courtyards as officers closed nearby streets along the Seine. Also visible was a lift braced to the Seine-facing facade near a construction zone an extraordinary vulnerability at a palace-museum. A museum already under strain Around 9:30 a.m., several intruders forced a window, cut panes with a disc cutter and went straight for the vitrines, officials said."

A minutes-long strike inside the Louvre allowed thieves to ride a basket lift, force a window into the Galerie d'Apollon, smash display cases and steal priceless Napoleonic jewels. Tourists pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in corridors as intruders moved through the Denon wing and exited on motorbikes. One object, reported to be the emerald-studded crown of Empress Eugenie, was later recovered broken just outside the museum. Culture Minister Rachida Dati and other officials described the operation as professional, lasting about four minutes and carried out without violence. The raid highlighted alleged understaffing of workers and security and vulnerabilities linked to riverside construction.

Read at www.mercurynews.com