Dramatic CCTV footage has laid bare the audacious four-minute raid on the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves made off with historic jewellery valued at a staggering £76 million. The security clip, broadcast on French television, shows the precise moment two masked individuals smashed display cases in the Apollo Gallery before fleeing with their priceless haul.
The Brazen Four-Minute Operation
The heist unfolded in broad daylight on October 19, between 9:35am and 9:39am. According to investigators, the thieves used a mover's truck with an extendable ladder to access the Apollo Gallery, which houses the French crown jewels. Two of the gang climbed up, broke a window, and used angle grinders to cut into the glass display booths.
The minute-long CCTV sequence shows one thief using his forearm to punch through already-cracked glass, retrieving three precious ornaments and stuffing them into an inside pocket of his hi-vis jacket. The pair then worked together to break into a second, larger case, seizing more items before dashing from the scene. In their hurry, they dropped a diamond-and-emerald crown, but escaped on high-powered motor scooters with eight other pieces.
Arrests and Ongoing Investigation
Within a week, on October 25, two men in their 30s from Seine-Saint-Denis were arrested. One was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a flight to Algeria. Both were already known to police for past burglaries. Investigators matched trace DNA from a helmet left at the scene to one suspect.
By October 29, five more suspects were detained. To date, charges have been filed against five individuals, including a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman. The alleged final member of the four-man core team, a 39-year-old man, was charged on November 27.
Despite some partial admissions, the location of the jewels remains a mystery. None of the stolen items have been recovered. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that interrogations have not yielded new leads but emphasised that recovering the jewellery is the "main objective." She described the perpetrators as "petty criminals rather than organised crime professionals."
Historic Jewels Lost and Security Fallout
The stolen items represent irreplaceable pieces of French heritage. The haul included:
- A tiara and necklace from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.
- An emerald necklace and earrings from the Marie-Louise set, a gift from Napoleon I to his second wife.
- Empress Eugénie's tiara and a large bodice brooch containing 2,438 diamonds.
The Louvre's director later revealed a critical security failing: the only camera monitoring the Galerie d'Apollon was pointing away from the balcony the thieves used. President of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, admitted the museum had failed in its responsibilities but denied overlooking security, citing prior warnings about underinvestment.
In the wake of the theft, security has been tightened at French cultural institutions, and the Louvre has transferred some of its most precious remaining jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
