How the Louvre museum theft occurred in video, images and maps | Paris

Thieves made off with priceless Napoleonic jewels throughout a spectacular daylight heist on Sunday on the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum.

The museum in Paris, whose intensive collections embrace the Mona Lisa, was closed for a second day on Monday as police hunted for the suspects within the theft, which has reignited a row over an absence of safety in France’s museums.

How did thieves break in?

In a extremely skilled raid, 4 balaclava-wearing thieves pulled up outdoors the Louvre on a street alongside the Seine River. At about 9.30am – half an hour after guests started getting into through the entrance of the museum – the robbers positioned themselves on the south aspect of the constructing and used a vehicle-mounted extendable ladder to achieve the second-floor balcony window.

Two of the thieves broke in by way of the window utilizing an angle grinder and different energy instruments, getting access to the museum’s Apollo gallery.

Louvre annotated image

The Apollo gallery is residence to France’s historic assortment of crown jewels and was inbuilt 1661 by Louis XIV. The gadgets focused by the thieves have been positioned in the midst of the gallery.

Apollo gallery layout.

They then smashed glass shows and grabbed jewelry.

What was stolen, and what was left behind?

Officials stated eight items have been stolen:

• A necklace and a pair of earrings initially given by Napoleon I to his second spouse, Empress Marie-Louise.

• A diadem (much like a tiara), brooch and ornamental bow belonging to Napoleon III’s third spouse, Empress Eugénie. The diadem is dotted with almost 2,000 diamonds.

• A tiara, necklace and single earring from a sapphire set worn by – amongst others – Marie-Amelie, the final queen of France. The necklace is adorned with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.

The thieves dropped Empress Eugénie’s massively useful crown on their means out. It is roofed in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, based on the museum’s web site.

They additionally missed the Regent diamond, valued by Sotheby’s at greater than US$60m (£45m).

What occurred after the theft?

As alarms rang out within the museum, alerting guards, the robbers rapidly left, escaping on motorbikes and forsaking a few of the tools used within the raid. The gang tried to set hearth to the automobile earlier than they left however they have been prevented by a member of museum employees.

The theft was accomplished in seven minutes, sources and officers instructed Agence France-Presse.

The museum introduced it was closing and guests filed out.

People leaving the Louvre on Sunday.

Forensic groups and cops have been later seen on the scene of the break-in.

Police at the scene of the Louvre break in

Who are the suspects?

Officials stated a group of 60 investigators was engaged on the speculation that an organised crime group was behind the theft. The inside minister, Laurent Nunez, stated the raid was thought to have been carried out by an skilled group.

What are folks saying about museum safety?

The heist has reignited a row over an absence of safety in France’s museums, that are far much less safe than banks and more and more focused by thieves.

Last month, criminals broke into Paris’s Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples price $700,000, whereas thieves additionally stole two dishes and a vase from a museum within the central metropolis of Limoges, the losses estimated at $7.6m.

The justice minister, Gérald Darmanin, admitted on Monday to safety flaws in defending the Louvre. “What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, giving France a terrible image,” he instructed France Inter radio.

Nunez acknowledged that securing museums was a “major weak spot”. He famous that safety measures on the Louvre had been strengthened in recent times, and can be strengthened additional as a part of a multimillion-euro overhaul of the museum.

Has this occurred earlier than?

The Louvre has a protracted historical past of thefts, presumably the best being by an Italian decorator who briefly labored there and stole the Mona Lisa in 1911. Vincenzo Peruggia entered the museum dressed as a museum employee. When nobody was wanting, he eliminated the portray and sneaked out. He was later arrested and the portray recovered.

Another infamous episode got here in 1956, when a customer hurled a stone on the Mona Lisa, chipping paint close to her left elbow and hastening the transfer to show the work behind protecting glass.

Sunday’s heist was the primary theft from the Louvre since 1998, when a portray by Camille Corot was stolen and by no means seen once more.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report