A spectacular burglary took place Sunday morning shortly after the opening of the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, where several criminals stole jewelry of "inexpensive value" before fleeing.

Around 9:30 a.m., three or four burglars broke into the museum's Apollo Gallery, which houses the French Crown Jewels, smashing the room's windows with an angle grinder after climbing onto a cradle from outside. The jewels were protected by glass cases.

The amount of the loot is currently being estimated, but the stolen jewelry is of "inexpensive value," said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, a guest on France Inter/Franceinfo/Le Monde.

Built at the request of Louis XIV, the Apollo Gallery houses the royal collection of gems and the Crown Diamonds, including three historic pieces, the Regent, the Sancy and the Hortensia.

Mr. Nuñez said he was "hopeful" that the criminals, who fled on a scooter, would be arrested "very quickly."

According to him, the operation, which lasted only "seven minutes", was carried out by "experienced" burglars who could be "foreigners".

In their escape, however, they abandoned one of the objects, the crown of Empress Eugenie, which was found damaged near the museum.

The crown of Napoleon III's wife is notably composed of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the description posted online by the Louvre.

One of their scooters was also found.

Visitors to the museum, which opened at 9 a.m., were quickly evacuated "without incident," the Louvre told AFP.

"You'd think the Louvre, of all places, would have the best security in the world, right? It's crazy," said Janie, an American tourist, after being forced to leave the museum.

An investigation into organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime has been opened and entrusted to the Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry (BRB), the Paris prosecutor's office announced.

President Emmanuel Macron is "informed of the situation in real time," the Elysée Palace announced.

- "Great vulnerability" of museums -

It was the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who first made the burglary public, referring to a "robbery" in the 73,000 m2 museum, which houses around 35,000 works of art, including the famous Mona Lisa.

On X, the museum, which welcomed nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, 80% of whom were foreigners, announced its closure on Sunday for "exceptional reasons."

The museum's management told AFP that it wanted to "preserve traces and clues for the investigation."

"We know very well that there is great vulnerability in French museums," said the Interior Minister, when asked about possible flaws in the surveillance system.

He recalled that a "security plan" recently launched by the Ministry of Culture "did not spare" the Louvre Museum.

The minister's comments echo several burglaries that have recently targeted museums in France.

In mid-September, specimens of native gold were stolen during a break-in at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, which deplored an "inestimable loss" for research and heritage.

In September, a museum in Limoges was burglarized, with damage estimated at 6.5 million euros.

"Today, organized crime is targeting art objects, and museums have become targets," said Rachida Dati on TF1, emphasizing that France was primarily concerned as a "heritage country."

"These museums must adapt to new forms of crime," added the minister, assuring that a "security audit" had recently been conducted at the Louvre at the request of the management.

The last recorded theft at the Louvre took place in 1998 when a painting by French painter Camille Corot was stolen in broad daylight and has never been found since.

Much further back in time, it was the Mona Lisa that was stolen in 1911 by an Italian glazier who wanted to see the masterpiece returned to its country of origin.