France hunts thieves who stole crown jewels from Louvre in daring minutes-long heist
Suspects at large after broad daylight raid targets Paris museum; 19th-century diamond crown dropped and damaged in their escape
The Louvre was closed for a second day on Monday as police hunted for thieves who broke in and stole priceless jewels in a spectacular daylight robbery.
Officials said a team of 60 investigators was working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the theft on Sunday of nine pieces of jewellery, one of which – a crown covered in more than 1,000 diamonds – they dropped as they fled.
The thieves arrived at around 9.30am, shortly after the museum opened at 9.00am, and completed the robbery in just seven minutes, sources and officials said.
They parked a truck with an extendable ladder like those used by movers below the Paris museum’s Apollo Gallery, home to an imperial jewel collection, clambering up and using cutting equipment to get in through a window and open the display cases.
The world-famous museum, whose extensive collections include the Mona Lisa, said it was closing for a second day. It may not open again until Wednesday, as the museum is usually shut on Tuesdays.