Thieves stole priceless jewels from Paris’ famous Louvre in a daring heist Sunday morning 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 around 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) as the museum opened, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told France Inter radio.
The culprits stole “priceless valuable” jewelry from an area housing the French crown jewels, before fleeing the scene on scooters, he said. He added that 3 or 4 thieves were involved.
It was “obviously a team that had been scouting,” Nuñez said, adding that the “experienced” thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery by breaking an exterior window with a record cutter. The stolen jewelry was kept behind glass inside the gallery, he added.
An image from the scene showed what appeared to be a furniture lift leaning against a second-story balcony, with police gathered nearby to cordon off the area.
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said a jewel had been discovered near the museum and was “being evaluated” and that the heist lasted only four minutes.
She said earlier on X that “no injuries were reported.”
The museum’s website says the gallery featured hard stone vessels collected by the kings of France, carved from precious minerals including jade and rock crystal.
The collection also includes the French 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 investigators can work undisturbed.”
“I hope we find the thieves and the jewels very soon,” he added.
An investigation into organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office, a source within the prosecutor’s office told NBC News.
