France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati on Sunday reported a break-in at the Louvre in Paris, as the world-renowned museum said it was closing for the day.
“A hold-up took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” she wrote on X, using a French word that can also mean “robbery.”
“No injuries reported. I’m on site with museum staff and police,” she added.
The Louvre said it was closing for the day “for exceptional reasons.”
Dati said she was on site and that an investigation was underway.
French daily Le Parisien reported that criminals entered the world’s most visited museum and former palace via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway. The report said they used a freight elevator to gain direct access to the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery.
After breaking windows, they reportedly stole “nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress,” Le Parisien said.
The Galerie d’Apollon, where Sunday’s theft reportedly took place, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels.
The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.