Jewel thieves pulled off a heist at the Louvre worthy of the movies on Sunday. Three intruders broke into the world-famous museum in Paris around the time it opened and made off with nine priceless pieces of antique jewelry that once belonged to Napoleon and French royalty, reports Forbes. It took all of seven minutes. The intruders then escaped on scooters and remain at large, per the BBC. The museum, which saw 9 million visitors last year, is closed for the day.
Details were sketchy, but reports in French media say the thieves took advantage of ongoing construction to get into the museum. They "entered from the outside using a basket lift," said Interior Minister Lauren Nunez, per the AP. The intruders, armed with small chainsaws, made their way to the Apollo Gallery on the Seine side of the museum, where they broke open display cases and grabbed the jewelry, including brooches, necklaces, and tiaras that belonged to Empress Josephine. One stolen item—a crown that belonged to Empress Eugénie—was later found damaged outside the museum.
One bit of good news for the museum: The collection's most famous piece—the 140-carat Regent diamond—was not taken. With gold prices soaring above $4,100 an ounce, one fear is that the items could be melted down. The incident comes just weeks after the Museum of Natural History in Paris reported a separate theft of gold specimens valued at $70,000.
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