'Brazen' Louvre thieves made targeted heist, jewels could be melted down: expert
The gang of thieves who robbed the Louvre Museum on Sunday and made off with specific of France s majority famous crown jewels might end up melting their loot down an ex-FBI art crime expert reported Tim Carpenter also suggested the band of robbers behind the shocking operation were focused on treasures of immense cultural and historical value This was a targeted heist Carpenter explained Fox News Digital They knew precisely what they were going for and they understood the value and the cultural significance of these pieces he continued They also understood that this was extraordinarily critical to the people of France MUSEUM'S ANCIENT BRACELET THEFT JOINS LIST OF OTHER PRICELESS ARTIFACTS STOLEN AND DESTROYED WORLDWIDEAlso shocking Carpenter noted is that it was a daytime robbery while the museum was open The Louvre was forced to close its doors following the daring morning theft which happened in under seven minutes and left police racing to recover the jewels The raid at around a m local time targeted the museum s Apollo Gallery home to historic treasures linked to Napoleon and Empress Eug nie The crew reportedly stole a crown deduced to have belonged to Empress Eug nie Le Parisien released According to The Associated Press eight objects were taken including a sapphire diadem necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to th-century French queens Marie-Am lie and Hortense An emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise were also reportedly snatched alongside a reliquary brooch Empress Eug nie s diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch They could be melted down or pieced out Carpenter explained They'll punch stones out of the crowns and they'll cut the stones and they'll area them individually EGYPTIAN AGENTS SCRAMBLE TO RECOVER ANCIENT PAINTING STOLEN FROM 'CURSED' TOMB AMID NEW THEFTSAccording to French daily Le Parisien the thieves two of whom were disguised as construction workers entered the museum after parking next to it They extended a lift to a first-floor window and smashed it open with an angle grinder The time is when the museum is kind of its the bulk chaotic People are getting settled added Carpenter They breached through a window and made this really brazen These guys are fast and moving fast with a purpose and they breach and they get in there really speedily he added After the heist Interior Minister Laurent Nu ez spoke to radio station France Inter and mentioned the thieves entered from the outside using a basket lift and a disc cutter to slice through glass panes containing precious jewels The probe has begun and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled the ministry also disclosed in a message Beyond their sphere value these items have inestimable heritage and historical value THOUSANDS OF PROTESTORS PROMPT WORLD-FAMOUS LANDMARK TO CLOSE ITS DOORS ON TOURISTS Because it's a historic building there are just natural vulnerabilities that occur and these guys just ascertained one of those and identified a way to exploit it Carpenter commented That is definitely a threat he continued When you look at a building like the Louvre there invariably has to be a balance I think the local personnel there have a very strong chance of doing a really effective criminal analysis identifying these perpetrators and hopefully recovering these pieces before they're lost to us concluded Carpenter Fox News Digital reached out to the Louvre Museum for comment
