Chainsaw-armed thieves stole over 8,000 gemstones in a swift, carefully planned heist at Paris’ most famous museum
The haul from the brazen daylight heist at Paris’ Louvre Museum in October has been valued at about €88 million ($96 million), with thieves making off with gemstones set into French crown jewels, BFMTV reported on Monday, citing the findings of an investigation.
Four masked men armed with a chainsaw broke into the iconic museum on October 19 and forced their way into the Apollo Gallery, where they cut open a display case and fled with jewelry pieces. The heist lasted just minutes and was conducted without anyone being injured, according to the broadcaster.
The haul included 8,482 diamonds, 35 emeralds, 34 sapphires, and 212 pearls, BFMTV said. The gemstones were mounted in eight jewelry pieces that were part of a temporary exhibition and were on loan to the museum. Investigators believe the thieves targeted the items for the raw value of the stones rather than the artistic significance of the jewelry itself.
Police say the operation was meticulously planned. Two suspects reportedly entered the gallery while two accomplices waited outside to assist the escape. The group fled using scooters and abandoned specialized equipment used to reach the display. Investigators later determined vehicles linked to the getaway had been stolen and altered to avoid detection, BFMTV said.
CCTV footage and other evidence reviewed by investigators allowed police to retrace the suspects’ movements before and after the robbery. Authorities believe much of the preparation and escape was coordinated from a suburb north of Paris, where multiple vehicles were seen leaving and returning in a tightly choreographed sequence. A van believed to have been used to transport the stolen jewelry has not been recovered.
Two suspects were later detained and partially admitted their involvement, the outlet said. One of the men, a 34-year-old Algerian national, reportedly told investigators he worked as a delivery driver. The second suspect also worked in delivery.
The Louvre – home to the Mona Lisa – has long faced scrutiny over security and modernization delays. A state audit previously described its security systems as “old and inadequate,” and former museum director Pierre Rosenberg warned decades ago that the museum’s security was “fragile.”
The jewelry has not been recovered, and investigators say it remains unclear whether the gemstones were removed from their settings, sold on, or hidden intact.
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