Crown Jewels stolen fromt he Louvre valued at 88 million euros / owensdt1, CC BY 2.0
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
PARIS (Worthy News) – French authorities said Tuesday that crown jewels stolen in a daring daylight heist at the Louvre Museum over the weekend are worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) — excluding their immense historical value to France.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is leading the investigation, confirmed that about 100 investigators have been deployed to recover the jewels and identify the suspects behind Sunday’s theft from the world’s most-visited museum.
Officials said the jewels — part of France’s royal collection — were taken from a secured display area in what investigators described as a “highly organized operation.” No arrests have been made, and the Louvre remains open under tightened security.
Beccuau said the probe focuses on professional art-theft networks, adding that international agencies have been notified amid fears that the jewels could already be smuggled abroad.
French officials called the loss a blow to the museum and the nation’s cultural heritage. “Their financial worth is significant,” Beccuau said, “but their historical value to France is beyond calculation.”
GOVERNMENT FURIOUS
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the heist as “an attack on a heritage that belongs to every French citizen,” hoping “those responsible will be caught.”
Culture Minister Rachida Dati defended the museum’s response in parliament, insisting that “the Louvre’s security systems worked — alarms were triggered, procedures were followed.”
Security experts, however, warned that the theft highlights vulnerabilities in museum security. “The fact that such an operation could happen so fast suggests insider knowledge or precise reconnaissance,” former Interpol art-crime investigator Alain Lacour told Le Monde.
Visitors described confusion as alarms sounded and police sealed off the area.
“We saw people rushing out of the gallery, and suddenly the staff shouted for everyone to move toward the main exit,” said Kaci Benedetti, a U.S. tourist. “Some people were crying — they thought there was an attack.”
Others reported seeing men in dark clothing near the museum’s Seine-facing façade moments before the evacuation. Police believe the suspects used a mobile lift to enter through a side window and escaped by motorcycle.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
“It all happened in minutes,” one Louvre employee told France’s Le Monde newspaper. “By the time the first officers arrived, the display cases were already empty.”
Authorities are analyzing security camera footage and forensic evidence from the scene. Prosecutor Beccuau said investigators are working “around the clock” to trace the jewels and have contacted Europol and Interpol to monitor potential cross-border movements.
Art-theft experts warned that the stolen gems could soon be dismantled or melted down. “There’s a narrow 48-hour window before they disappear into the black market,” noted Paris-based cultural property analyst Jean-Michel Moreau.
The Louvre said it would keep the affected gallery closed until the investigation concluded.
The museum, visited by nearly 9 million people annually, has never faced a theft of this magnitude in its modern history.
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