Louvre robbery LIVE: World famous Paris museum closed after break-in

5 mins ago12:40 Richard Ashmore

According to the French Interior Ministry, at around 09:30 local time (08:30 BST) a number of individuals got into the Louvre's Apollo Gallery via a window, which they broke.

Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery. After breaking windows, they reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress, the paper said

French authorities said forensic work is underway and a precise inventory of the stolen objects is being compiled, adding that the items have “inestimable” historical and patrimonial value.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez were on site with museum leadership.

Police have sealed off the museum and evacuated visitors. New arrivals were turned away and nearby streets were closed, according to the Interior Ministry.

8 mins ago12:37 Richard Ashmore

Current exhibitions at the Louvre include one celebrating the work of renowned French painter Jacques-Louis David, who the Louvre said is regarded as the “Father of the French School” of painting.

The show, running from October 15, 2025 to January 26, 2026, includes iconic paintings of Napoleon.

Thieves are said to have now stolen jewellery linked to the iconic French historical leader and his Empress. 

An exhibition running in the Louvre (Image: Getty )

An exhibition running in the Louvre (Image: Getty )

52 mins ago11:53 Richard Ashmore

Home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters — the Louvre’s star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

The Galerie d’Apollon displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels.

The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.

56 mins ago11:49 Richard Ashmore

The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous was in 1911, when he Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat.

It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.

The Mona Lise was once stolen from the Louvre (Image: Getty )

57 mins ago11:48 Richard Ashmore

Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery.

After breaking windows, they reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress, the paper said. Le Parisien also reported that one stolen jewel was later found outside the museum. Citing early investigative findings, the paper said it was believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown and that it had been broken.

58 mins ago11:47 Richard Ashmore

Police have sealed off the museum and evacuated visitors. New arrivals were turned away and nearby streets were closed, according to the Interior Ministry.

On France Inter, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described a “major robbery,” saying the intruders “entered from the outside using a basket lift,” that the operation lasted seven minutes, and that the panes were cut with a disc cutter. He said it was “manifestly a team that had done scouting.”

59 mins ago11:46 Richard Ashmore

It's reported thieves used a basket lift to break into the Louvre on Sunday morning, forced a window, smashed display cases and escaped with jewels of “inestimable value,” France’s interior minister said, as the world’s most visited museum closed for the day during the investigation.

The Interior Ministry said that around 9.30 am. several intruders forced open a window, stole jewels from vitrines and fled on two-wheelers.

The ministry said forensic work is underway and a precise inventory of the stolen objects is being compiled, adding that the items have “inestimable” historical and patrimonial value. Dati and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez were on site with museum leadership.

2 hours ago10:57 Richard Ashmore

Current exhibitions at the Louvre include one celebrating the work of renowned French painter Jacques-Louis David, who the Louvre said is regarded as the “Father of the French School” of painting.

The show, running from October 15, 2025 to January 26, 2026, includes what the museum called: "Images that still haunt our collective imagination today: Marat assassinated, Bonaparte crossing the Alps, the Coronation of Napoleon… It is through the filter of his paintings that we imagine the great hours of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, and in his portraits that the society of that time is relived."

Bonaparte crossing the St Bernard Pass, May 1800 (Image: Getty/ Jacques-Louis David)

2 hours ago10:54 Richard Ashmore

The website for the world famous museum has a bright red warning message emblazoned across it, which reads: "Sunday, October 19, 2025: The Louvre Museum will remain closed today for exceptional reasons.

"We thank you for your understanding."

The Louvre Museum website (Image: Louvre Museum )

2 hours ago10:48 Richard Ashmore

Social media footage posted on X by user @gregraspoutine appeared to show scores of visitors being herded out of the world famous facility. 

The poster initially captioned the video: "Total panic at the Louvre Museum, urgently evacuated.Robbery confirmed by Rachida Dati."

However, they later updated their post, saying: I obviously exaggerated the notion of panic... I didn't imagine that this tweet would take on such a magnitude. The evacuation happened in a very calm and organised manner."

2 hours ago10:44 Richard Ashmore

Rachida Dati (Image: Getty )

2 hours ago10:40 Richard Ashmore

2 hours ago10:39 Richard Ashmore

Good morning and welcome to this LIVE blog, we'll be bringing you all the latest updates throughout the day.

Thank you

The Express Team