€88 million of jewels stolen from the Louvre

At 9.30 am on the 19th October, there was a huge robbery in Paris. Robbers stole some of the Louvre's most famous jewels. Police have now arrested several men. The robbery took place 30 minutes after opening and lasted just seven minutes.

Four thieves were involved, who were dressed as builders. They used a ladder to reach the second floor Apollo gallery. From outside, two men cut the Louvre's windows with special tools. Once inside, they broke the glass cabinets and escaped with France's Napoleonic jewels. They're worth 88 million euros.

The museum was immediately closed, which left crowds of shocked tourists.

Janie: "You know, you think, in the Louvre, of all places, don't they have like the best security on the planet? So, it's crazy. I'm thinking an inside job maybe? It's really weird."

Everyone was asking how this could happen. Elise Muller's a Louvre security officer who believes the museum isn't protected enough. In recent years, the government's reduced the money it provides for museums.

Elise Muller: "When you eliminate professional posts, sooner or later there's a price to pay. And this time it's been a dramatic one, we've faced something worse than a film scene. No one could ever have imagined we'd get to this point, in the world's greatest museum."

The crime's started a big discussion about security. Only one month earlier, gold items were stolen from another Parisian museum. A museum in Limoges also lost items to thieves.

A team of 60 experts is looking into the Louvre robbery. Police believe it's a group of professional criminals and are hoping to solve the crime soon. Weniger anzeigen