Louvre museum closed after robbery, French official says

Thieves broke into the Louvre museum in Paris and stole priceless jewelry before escaping on motorbikes French administrators commented Sunday Interior Minister Laurent Nu ez called the heist a major robbery that lasted seven minutes Speaking to France Inter he revealed the thieves entered from the outside using a basket lift and a disc cutter to slice through glass panes containing precious jewels The scrutiny has begun and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled the ministry announced in a message Beyond their sector value these items have inestimable heritage and historical value The museum posted on X it would remain closed for the day for exceptional reasons though it did not promptly provide details No injuries were stated EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIVES SCRAMBLE TO RECOVER ANCIENT PAINTING STOLEN FROM 'CURSED' TOMB AMID LATEST THEFTS According to French daily Le Parisien the thieves entered through a section of the museum under construction along the Seine River The crew reportedly used a freight elevator to access a room in the Apollo Gallery which houses part of the French Crown Jewels TOURISM SAFETY FEARS RISE AFTER MUSEUM THIEF STEALS PHARAOH'S PRICELESS BRACELET THINGS TO KNOWThe crew stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress including a crown held to have belonged to Empress Eug nie the newspaper disclosed The crown was later identified broken outside the museum the statement commented The Louvre houses over works spanning antiquities sculpture and painting from Mesopotamian artifacts and Egyptian relics to masterpieces by European artists Its iconic treasures include the Mona Lisa the Venus de Milo and the Winged Domination of Samothrace The Associated Press contributed to this description