Thieves stole priceless jewels from the world-famous Louvre in Paris in a daring heist early Sunday that forced the museum to close for the day, officials said.
The thieves broke in using a ladder mounted on the back of a truck at around 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) as the museum was opening, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told radio station France Inter.
The culprits stole jewels of “inestimable value,” before fleeing the scene on motor-scooters, he said, adding the operation “lasted seven minutes” and that it is believed 3 or 4 thieves were involved.
It was “manifestly a team that had done scouting,” he said, adding that the “experienced” thieves broke into the Galerie d’Apollon by breaking an exterior window with a disc cutter. The stolen jewels had been kept behind glass inside the gallery, he added.
An image from the scene showed what appeared to be a furniture elevator propped up against a second floor balcony, with police gathered nearby to cordon off the area.
The museum’s website says the gallery displayed hardstone vessels collected by the kings of France, carved from precious minerals including jade and rock crystal.
The collection also includes the Crown Jewels and historic diamonds, according to the site.
Nuñez said it was necessary to evacuate people from the museum, “mainly to preserve evidence and clues so that investigators could work undisturbed.”
“I expect we will very soon find the thieves and jewels,” he added.
Video posted on X this morning and verified by NBC News showed swathes of people leaving the museum.
