Thieves raided the Louvre Museum in broad daylight Sunday, taking just seven minutes to steal eight pieces of France’s crown jewels before fleeing, officials said.
The suspects dropped one item — the gem-encrusted crown of Empress Eugenie — as they escaped. It was later recovered.
"I spoke with our HR and was informed that there are almost two thousand vacant positions," said DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon at the agency’s flag-raising ceremony Monday.
The stolen items, housed in the Apollo Gallery, included a necklace Napoleon gave Empress Marie Louise and emerald earrings once belonging to her. Also taken was jewelry from Queen Marie Amelie and Queen Hortense.
The robbery forced the Louvre to close to “preserve traces and clues for the investigation,” museum officials said.
“It was like a Hollywood movie,” tourist Talia Ocampo told AFP. “It was crazy and something we won't forget — we could not go to the Louvre because there was a robbery.”
The theft occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m., shortly after the museum opened. Police said four suspects arrived on scooters and used angle grinders and a furniture hoist to enter through a window.
Witness Samir told TF1 he saw two men “get on the hoist, break the window and enter... it took 30 seconds.”
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the thieves threatened guards with the tools used to break the cases. A team of 60 investigators is handling the case.
President Emmanuel Macron said “everything is being done” to recover the treasures.
Opposition figures expressed outrage. “France has been stolen,” said Republican leader Laurent Wauquiez. National Rally’s Jordan Bardella called the heist “an unbearable humiliation for our country.”
The Louvre, once the seat of French kings, is the world’s most visited museum. Security vulnerabilities in French museums have become a growing concern after recent thefts in Paris and Limoges.
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