"Shortly after the museum opened on Sunday morning, two bandits used a lift on a truck to break into its Galerie d'Apollon, which houses the French crown jewels and other treasures, through a second-floor window. That's according to the Paris prosecutor's office, which is looking for four male suspects. The thieves smashed display cases, stealing what a Louvre spokesperson described as eight items of "inestimable cultural and historical value.""
"They then fled toward a nearby highway on high-powered scooters. Two pieces of jewelry including the crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III were found near the museum afterward. The heist deals a huge blow to one of the most popular museums in the world, which houses valuable works like Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and has drawn some 9 million visitors in recent years."
Masked thieves used a lift on a truck to enter the Galerie d'Apollon through a second-floor window shortly after the museum opened, carrying out a seven-minute daylight heist. Investigators are seeking four male suspects after display cases were smashed and eight items of inestimable cultural and historical value were taken. The thieves fled on high-powered scooters toward a nearby highway. Two pieces, including the crown of Empress Eugenie, were later found near the museum. The theft forced the Louvre to close temporarily and represents another high-profile security breach at a museum housing some 35,000 works.
Read at www.npr.org
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