Emmanuel Macron: Louvre Heist is Attack on France's Cherished Heritage

October 20, 2025 | 06:53 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The French police are currently on the hunt for the Louvre Museum's jewel thieves. The investigative team, consisting of 60 French police personnel, suspects that the Louvre heist was carried out by experienced thieves, possibly foreign nationals, and part of an organized criminal group.

Armed soldiers patrolled the landmark's esplanade, around its famous glass pyramid, which serves as the museum's main entrance, while the police were seen entering the premises.

Evacuated visitors, tourists, and pedestrians were kept behind police lines at a distance, while the surrounding streets of the museum were closed off, as reported by Al Arabiya.

According to France24, in France, this incident has reignited debates about the lack of security in the country's museums, acknowledged by the new Interior Minister, Laurent Nuez, on Sunday as the "major weak spot."

"The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History. We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice," stated President Emmanuel Macron on his X account as reported by EuroNews.

French Government's Follow-Up

At least one of the nine missing items has been found outside the museum. According to the Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, the authorities have recovered the emerald-studded imperial crown belonging to Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie, which contains over 1,300 diamonds, as reported by Blue News.

An interview with public prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that the search for the four suspected thieves is underway.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that detailed forensic processes and inventorying are ongoing.

At the scene, the robbers left behind gloves, electrical equipment, radios, and not far from the museum, a high-visibility vest. In addition to forensic analysis, the police are also processing the Louvre Museum's CCTV recordings.

Not the First Theft

As reported by Sky News, in 1911, the Mona Lisa painting, now protected by bulletproof glass, went missing from its frame, stolen by a former museum employee who hid the masterpiece and walked out with it concealed under his coat.

Two years later, the Mona Lisa was found in Florence.

In 1983, two pieces of Renaissance-era armor were stolen and returned in 2021.

The museum's collection also includes loots from the Napoleon era, comprising 33,000 art pieces, including antiquities, sculptures, and paintings.

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