Last Wednesday, an unpredictable heist stunned people worldwide. One of the most famous and most visited museums located in Paris, the Louvre, was robbed of their priceless Napoleon artifacts in just broad daylight.
According to reports, masterminded thieves broke into the Apollo room of the museum at exactly 9:30 AM, just shortly after the museum opened for the day. There were four thieves total, all in masks and construction worker clothing, smartly covering their identities.
Within minutes, two of the robbers made their way up to the room using a truck-mounted ladder and then used an angle grinder to cut through the window of the building. The robbers had opened two display cases, and then escaped with eight priceless pieces of royal jewelry that were worn by French queens and Empresses. One of the items, Empress Eugenie’s emerald diamond crown, was later found, damaged, outside of the museum. The stolen jewels were estimated to be worth €88 million ($102 million USD).
The French police and detectives quickly launched a massive investigation, eventually arresting two men on the 26th, one being found at the airport, trying to flee to Algeria. They are both being held on suspicion of organized theft and criminal conspiracy. Investigators have not confirmed whether the jewels have been recovered and found, or the names of these individuals because they still are not certain whether they were involved.
Overall, this heist sparked a major outrage across France about the Louvre’s security and staff, and some question whether this was an inside job.
This heist has shocked thousands of people worldwide, and although it was a terrible crime, many still find it interesting on how such a bold plan could succeed in one of the world’s most protected museums and with our modern-day technology.
