By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | October 2025
French authorities launch nationwide manhunt after professional thieves shatter museum security to steal Napoleon’s royal treasures. A stunning blow to France’s cultural heritage with no arrests yet and fears of jewels disappearing for good.
As of October 20, 2025, the Louvre Museum jewel heist remains one of the most audacious and politically sensitive thefts in recent French history. New statements from French officials, law enforcement, and major global news outlets provide a detailed picture of what transpired and the ongoing investigation.
Summary of Events
On Sunday morning, October 19, four masked thieves carried out a daring daylight robbery inside the Louvre Museum’s Apollo Gallery, home to France’s royal Crown Jewels, including pieces associated with Napoleon and Empress Eugénie. The crew used a truck-mounted lift to access a window along the Seine River façade, broke through the glass with angle grinders, and smashed two display cases containing at least eight historic jewels before fleeing on motorcycles. Officials estimate the thieves spent no more than seven minutes inside the building.
Official Responses and Security Failures
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the theft as an “attack on French heritage.”Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Culture Minister Rachida Dati convened an emergency meeting, while the Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin publicly admitted, “We failed,”acknowledging major security lapses that allowed criminals to park and use industrial equipment next to the world’s most visited museum.
Minister Dati stated that the heist had been carried out by “highly professional criminals with precise knowledge of the museum’s layout” and that the Louvre’s forthcoming €700 million “New Renaissance” modernization plan will include security upgrades.
Investigation and Manhunt
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that investigators believe the heist was commissioned by a private collector, a hypothesis supported by early intelligence on “hired professionals” linked to organized art theft syndicates.
Approximately 60 detectives from the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB) are leading the investigation, deploying drones and AI-assisted tracking to find the thieves’ escape motorcycles, one of which has already been recovered near Fontainebleau with forensic evidence intact.
The Louvre remains closed today while police continue collecting trace evidence and reviewing over 500 hours of CCTV footage.
What Was Stolen
Authorities have confirmed the loss of at least eight jewels with “inestimable value,” including:
- A diamond-and-sapphire diadem worn by Empress Eugénie,
- A pearl-studded crown from Napoleon’s coronation collection,
- Two royal emerald necklaces,
- And several gold-and-diamond earrings and brooches.
Experts warn that recovering these items may be difficult since such artifacts are often dismantled and sold as separate gemstones within weeks.
Current Status
As of this afternoon:
- No arrests have been made.
- A nationwide manhunt is underway with Interpol assistance.
- French museums have heightened security amid fears of copycat attacks targeting underfunded cultural institutions.
Authorities have described the operation as a “methodical and devastating blow” to French cultural patrimony, echoing concerns that black-market art crime is resurging across Europe in the post-pandemic economic downturn.
