MON DIEU!

Daring Jewel Heist Shutters The Louvre

Priceless items were stolen from the world-famous museum.

A gang of masked thieves made off with a trove of priceless jewels in a daring heist at the largest museum in the world early Sunday morning. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is on site at The Louvre, the vast arts and culture center in the heart of Paris. The museum attracts almost nine million visitors every year, where Dati says police are frantically carrying out their investigation into the theft. Those efforts appear to be largely focused for now on the southeast corner of the main building, overlooking the River Seine. A large extendable ladder from the back of a goods truck appears to show how the robbers made their entry through one of the second-floor windows at approximately 9:30 am local time. Perpetrators reportedly were carrying a set of chainsaws and made their escape on scooters with at least nine items. The specific items that were taken are still being catalogued but are thought to have been of immense monetary, historical and cultural value. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said well organized thieves taken swiped “jewels which have a real heritage value, an inestimable heritage value.” Tourists have been seen milling about the gallery, which says it will remain closed for the remainder of the day due to “exceptional reasons.”