One of the most brazen robberies in recent French history has taken the world by shock.
As CBS News reported, masked thieves carried out a stunning daytime heist at the Louvre in Paris, the world’s most visited museum, on Sunday morning. The museum was forced to close following the incident as authorities began to investigate.
Visitors were ordered out as police sealed off the area.
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Thankfully, no visitors were harmed in the raid.
A museum spokesperson told CBS News in a statement that the theft occurred at around 9:30 a.m. in broad daylight. They said several people broke into the Louvre through the Galerie d’Apollon and stole jewelry before racing away on motorcycles.
The whole operation reportedly took just ten minutes.
“An investigation has begun, and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled,” the statement continued. “Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value.”
French outlet Le Monde reported the entire operation took just ten minutes. It houses Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous painting The Mona Lisa,
The Manchester Evening News reports that two men are believed to have stolen nine pieces, while another man served as a lookout. Among the items stolen were a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara.
Another historic item, a crown belonging to the legendary French Emperor Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugenie, was damaged outside the gallery.
The three men were hooded and were carrying “small chainsaws.”
Jordan Bardella, a politician with the populist National Rally Party and likely 2027 French Presidential candidate, called the heist “an intolerable humiliation” for France.
“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country,” he wrote on X. “How far will the decay of the state go?”
The Louvre welcomes around 8.7 million visitors every year and attracts roughly 30,000 per day. It is home to some of the world’s most famous works of art, including Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The post SHOCK: Masked Thieves Riding Motorcycles Break into World’s Most Visited Museum in Broad Daylight and Steal Priceless Jewels of “Inestimable Heritage and Historical Value” in Just Ten Minutes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.