Reconstructing the Louvre heist timeline: How it unfolded in just 7 minutes
On Sunday, a group of burglars broke into the Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and took eight jeweled historical artifacts. They left the same way they had entered and are now at large.
All it took was seven minutes.
"The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage we cherish, for it is our history," said French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement posted on X. "We will recover the artworks, and those responsible will be brought to justice. Every effort is being made, everywhere, to achieve this, under the direction of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office."
How did the thieves commit a high-profile heist in broad daylight with hundreds of tourists at the world's most-visited museum? Here is a breakdown of the events:
9:30 a.m.— Thieves arrive at the south side of the Louvre in a ladder truck
Half an hour after the Louvre opened, a truck with a mounted ladder—similar to a cherry picker—parked on a street by the Quai Francois Mitterrand, a busy road that runs the length of the Louvre's south side and is adjacent to the River Seine. Nearby construction work kept the truck from looking out of place.
According to French officials, the thieves cranked up the extendable ladder to reach a first-floor, street-facing window in the Apollo Gallery.
The gallery sits in the Denon Wing, which also houses the Mona Lisa, about 900 feet away. France's collection of historic crown jewels is kept in the Apollo Gallery, which was built by Louis XIV in 1661. It is a long room bearing 105 art pieces, according to a statement released by the museum when it reopened in 2020.
Four unarmed thieves, with their faces covered by balaclavas, climbed the ladder to reach the window.
9:34 a.m.— They break a window and enter the Apollo Gallery
Two of the four burglars used an angle grinder and other power tools to break in through the window. As the four thieves accessed the gallery, they triggered a security alarm.
Gaining entry, the thieves threatened the responding guards with their power tools, prompting them to evacuate the gallery. According to France's Culture Ministry, the museum staff's protocol when alarms are set off is to contact security and protect visitors.
A BBC report quoted Culture Minister Dati telling French news outlet TF1 that, based on surveillance footage, the thieves entered the gallery "calmly." She described the non-violent heist as "very professional."
The thieves then walked to the glass-encased cabinets in the center of the room. As they cut into two of the cases, they triggered more alarms.
In four minutes, the thieves took the following:
- A tiara, necklace (embellished with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds), and one earring from a sapphire set that belonged to Queen Marie-Amélie, the last queen of France, and Queen Hortense.
- The tiara (with close to 2,000 diamonds) and large bodice knot (similar to a brooch) of Empress Eugénie, third wife of Napoleon III.
- An emerald necklace and emerald earrings from the collection of Empress Marie Louise, second wife of Napoleon I
- A brooch known as the "reliquary brooch"
- The crown of Empress Eugénie, encrusted with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the Louvre's website.
9:38 a.m.— The thieves climb down the ladder to escape
The thieves made their way out of the museum in the same manner they got in. On the way out, they dropped the crown of Empress Eugénie, damaging it in the process. Officials recovered it after the thieves escaped.
Two motorbikes were waiting on the road as getaway vehicles. The group tried to set fire to their truck, but a member of the museum staff kept them from doing so. In their escape, the thieves left behind some of their tools.
According to a report by the BBC, Chris Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International, speculated that the thieves' next step would be to break up the jewels.
"There is a race going on right now," Marinello said. The thieves "are not going to keep them intact. They are going to break them up, melt down the valuable metal, recut the valuable stones, and hide evidence of their crime." He added that selling the jewels intact would be difficult.
Shortly after their burglary, the museum announced it was closing for the day, ushering out visitors. A sign at the entrance was put up, telling visitors that the museum is closed due to "exceptional circumstances." In a message posted on social media, the museum informed visitors who had already purchased tickets for the day that they would be reimbursed.
An Associated Press report quoted French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin as he acknowledged security negligence.
“One can wonder about the fact that, for example, the windows hadn’t been secured, about the fact that a basket lift was on a public road,” he said on France Inter radio. “Having (previously) been interior minister, I know that we cannot completely secure all places, but what is certain is that we have failed.”
A preliminary report has revealed that one in three rooms in the area of the museum raided had no CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras, according to French media.