Louvre ‘crown jewels’ police in race against time to find thieves or lose loot forever

French police have just 48 hours to hunt down eight priceless artefacts stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre before they are ‘gone forever’, experts say

View 3 Images

French police are in a race against time to track down the stolen Louvre ‘crown jewels’^[1] or risk losing them forever, experts have warned.

Officials today said a team of 60 investigators were now working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the shocking daylight heist of nine priceless pieces of jewellery on Sunday^[2], which was over in seven minutes and saw thieves flee the scene on motorbikes^[3]. The only item recovered so far is an emerald-set imperial crown that once belonged to Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, which the masked gang^[4] dropped outside the museum as they fled. The crown, covered in more than 1,000 diamonds and said to be worth tens of millions, was found damaged.

View 3 Images

Now, it is feared that time is running out for the rest of the loot, which included: a sapphire diadem, a necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense, an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife Empress Marie-Louise, a reliquary brooch, 19th-century Empress Eugenie’s diadem, and her large corsage-bow brooch.

In previous heists, the initial two days that follow the robbery – known as the ‘golden hours’ – have proved crucial in tracking down high-value artefacts, as the items are likely to remain a more limited geographic area and are therefore easier for authorities to contain.

But after 48 hours, the items are more likely to have been broken up or melted down. They may also be shipped internationally, meaning a far more complex cross-border operation is needed to trace them.

Chris Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, told BBC^[5] Newshour: “If these thieves are not caught by then, those pieces are probably long gone.”

View 3 Images

Questions mounted over how the group was able to carry out the daring raid at the Louvre, one of the world’s most prestigious museums and home to the Mona Lisa, which was itself famously stolen in 1911 before being recovered.

A cherry picker – which officials say the thieves brought and which was later removed – was used to gain entry, prompting many to ask how it could be taken to the scene unchecked.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the robbery as an “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history”.

Interior minister Laurent Nunez said the crew entered from outside using the cherry picker via the riverfront facade to reach the hall with the 23-item royal collection. They targeted the gilded Apollon Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed, including the Regent, the Sancy and the Hortensia. The thieves smashed two display cases and fled on motorbikes in the “major robbery”, Mr Nunez said, though no-one was hurt.

Alarms brought Louvre agents to the room, forcing the intruders to flee but the theft was already done. Mr Nunez said security measures at the Louvre had been strengthened in recent years and would be reinforced further as part of the museum’s upcoming overhaul plan.