Macron vows justice after audacious Louvre crown jewels theft

A highly efficient and brazen heist occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where a group of three to four criminals used heavy equipment to break into the Apollo Gallery shortly after the museum opened, stealing eight to nine invaluable pieces of French crown jewelry. The thieves accessed the first-floor gallery via the museum's Seine River facade, using a crane or lifting platform to reach and break into high-security display cases, escaping quickly by motorcycle. Among the stolen items were historically significant jewels belonging to Empress Marie-Louise, Queen Marie-Amélie, Queen Hortense, and Empress Eugénie, including necklaces, earrings, brooches, and diadems adorned with thousands of diamonds and sapphires. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the theft as an attack on France's cultural heritage and pledged that the stolen works would be recovered and the perpetrators brought to justice, emphasizing ongoing investigations led by the Paris public prosecutor’s office. He also highlighted that a modernization project for the Louvre, initiated earlier in the year, includes plans to enhance security measures to better protect France’s cultural memory. The museum, which attracts over 8 million visitors annually, was closed for the day following the robbery, and French authorities and Minister of Culture Rachida Dati are actively overseeing recovery efforts and security reassessment.