It was a heist that stunned the world—and left France grappling with questions about the security of its most treasured cultural institutions. On the morning of October 19, 2025, as Paris was just waking up, a team of four masked thieves pulled off a lightning-fast robbery at the Louvre Museum, the world’s most visited art museum. In a mere seven minutes, the gang made off with eight priceless pieces of jewelry, valued at an astonishing $102 million, according to the Paris Public Prosecutor’s office and multiple reports from BBC, ABC News, and other outlets.
The details of the robbery read like a Hollywood script. The thieves arrived at the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon just after it opened to visitors—at 9:30 a.m.—using a stolen mechanical lift to access a balcony overlooking the River Seine. Armed with power tools, they broke into display cases, snatched the jewels, and were gone by 9:38, escaping first on scooters and then switching to cars. Prosecutors said the entire operation inside the museum lasted just four minutes, with the rest of the time spent making their escape.
The haul included a glittering array of historic treasures: an emerald-and-diamond necklace once gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise, a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie (adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds), and several other ornate pieces. During their getaway, the thieves dropped a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that had belonged to Empress Eugenie, but the rest of the loot remains missing to this day, despite a nationwide manhunt and intense public scrutiny.
As the investigation unfolded, French authorities moved quickly. By October 29, just ten days after the heist, police had arrested five suspects in and around Paris, particularly in the northern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. One of the suspects was identified by DNA evidence found on one of the scooters used in the escape, according to statements from Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau reported by BBC and ABC News. Of those five, three were released without charge, a decision that drew criticism from some defense attorneys who described the arrests as “drift nets.”
Two men, both from Aubervilliers in northeastern Paris, were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after partially admitting their involvement. One, a 34-year-old Algerian national, was apprehended at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to board a flight to Algeria. The other, a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver, was arrested near his home. Both had previous theft offenses on their records and are suspected of being the pair who physically broke into the gallery, while two accomplices waited outside.
This week, the investigation took another turn as two more suspects—a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman—were formally charged in connection with the case. According to the Paris Public Prosecutor’s office, the man faces charges of organized robbery and conspiracy, while the woman stands accused of complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy. Both have denied any involvement. The woman, who lives in La Courneuve, a northern suburb of Paris, appeared in tears before a magistrate, as reported by AFP and BBC. Her detention was justified by the risk of collusion and disturbance of public order, and she remains in custody. The male suspect, known to authorities for past robberies, has also been ordered to stay in pre-trial detention pending a hearing.
In total, seven people have now been arrested as part of the sweeping probe, with four facing formal charges. The Paris prosecutor’s office has made clear that the investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are still searching for the missing jewels. The hope is that they can be retrieved intact, though there are fears they may have already been spirited out of the country.
The audacious theft has not only captivated the French public but also triggered a wave of embarrassment and soul-searching at the highest levels of the country’s cultural establishment. The director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, admitted in testimony before the French Senate that “security operations did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough.” She described the incident as “a terrible failure at the Louvre, which I take my share of responsibility in,” and revealed that she had offered her resignation to Culture Minister Rachida Dati—who declined to accept it, according to statements cited by BBC and other outlets.
Security lapses at the museum were quickly brought to light. It emerged that the only camera monitoring the Galerie d’Apollon was pointed away from the balcony the thieves used to break in, and there were no security cameras on the perimeter of the Louvre—a responsibility that, according to des Cars, lies with the city of Paris, not the museum itself. Critics have accused the museum’s leadership of prioritizing ambitious renovation plans over basic security upgrades, an allegation des Cars has denied, arguing that she had repeatedly warned of the need for more investment in security since taking office in 2021.
In response to the heist, security has been tightened at cultural institutions across France. The Louvre has transferred some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping, and Culture Minister Dati has promised new security measures will be in place by the end of the year. Preliminary findings of the government’s inquiry have acknowledged years of underestimating the risks of intrusion and theft at the museum.
The fate of the stolen jewels, meanwhile, remains uncertain. Experts interviewed by CBS News and others say that while the notoriety of the pieces would make them difficult to sell on the legitimate market—"the whole world knows about this robbery. Dealers will have pictures of every single piece up in their offices," said Parisian gem appraiser Stephen Portier—they would still fetch millions if broken up and sold on the black market.
As the investigation continues, the Louvre heist stands as a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities even the world’s most iconic institutions face—and the high stakes involved in protecting cultural heritage. With the jewels still missing and the story far from over, all eyes remain on Paris as authorities race to recover what was lost and restore confidence in the nation’s ability to safeguard its treasures.
