Summary

  • The Louvre museum in Paris is closed after a robbery this morning

  • French media reports that three masked men broke into the museum and used a goods lift to access the Apollo Gallery, our Paris correspondent reports

  • The thieves are said to have been carrying small chainsaws and escaped on a scooter with nine items of jewellery

  • No injuries are reported and police are investigating at the site, France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati says

  • The Louvre says on social media it will be closed for the rest of the day for "exceptional reasons"

Live Reporting

Edited by Kathryn Armstrong

  1. Police focus on ladder placed against the side of the Louvre

    Andrew Harding
    Paris correspondent, at the scene

    This photograph shows a furniture elevator propped up against a side of LouvreGetty Images

    French police have sealed off access to the Louvre museum, including one major road along the riverbank in front of it.

    The focus of the investigation is on the south-east corner of the building, overlooking the River Seine.

    A large, extendable ladder is visible, the sort of thing you might see on a fire engine or roofing company’s vehicle.

    It is mounted onto a mechanised lift, the type used all around Paris to deliver furniture to apartments on upper floors.

    The top of the ladder touches a balcony, which appears to be how the three thieves accessed one of the upper floors.

    The area around is full of tourists milling about unable to access the Louvre anymore on what is an overcast day.

  2. Value of stolen items 'incalculable', interior ministry says

    Hugh Schofield
    Paris Correspondent

    We are now getting more details about how the robbery unfolded.

    The French Interior Ministry says that at around 09:30 local time (07:30 BST) a number of individuals got into the Apollo Gallery via a window, which they broke.

    Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez says three or four thieves involved used a goods lift on a truck outside the building.

    Once inside, the thieves stole jewels that were in display cases and then left on motorbikes. Nunez says the robbery took seven minutes.

    A precise list of what was stolen is being drawn up.

    Beyond their commercial value, the ministry says the items have an incalculable historical and cultural value.

    French police officers stand next to a furniture elevator outside the Louvre MuseumGetty Images

    French police officers stand next to a furniture elevator outside the Louvre Museum

  3. Damage being assessed after robbery, says public prosecutor

    Forensic police officers arrive at the Louvre museum after reports of a robberyReuters

    The Parisian Public Prosecutor's Office confirms it has opened an investigation into suspected "organised theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime".

    It confirms there has been a "theft of jewellery" at the Louvre and that the investigation is being supported by an investigative service that fights illegal trafficking of cultural goods.

    "The damage is currently being assessed," the prosecutor's office says. "Investigations are ongoing."

  4. What is the Louvre?

    People visit the Louvre MuseumAnadolu via Getty Images

    Located in Paris, the Louvre is the largest museum in the world with nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space - more than the size of ten football pitches.

    It was originally built in 1546 as a palace for the French royal family. King Francis I, its first resident, was a lover of art and intended the Louvre to showcase his collection.

    Subsequent kings greatly expanded the crown's art holdings, with Louis XIV even acquiring the art collection of English King Charles I, after his execution in the English Civil War.

    The collection remained mainly private until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, and in 1793 the Louvre opened as a public art gallery.

    Today, the Louvre displays more than 35,000 works of art - including the famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci - and attracts around 30,000 daily visitors.

  5. Thieves escaped on a scooter with nine items of jewellery
    Breaking

    Hugh Schofield
    Paris Correspondent

    Details are sketchy but French media are reporting that three masked men broke into the Louvre shortly after opening time this morning.

    They’re said to have used a goods lift to get access to the Apollo Gallery, on the Seine River side of the museum.

    This ornate room is where what remains of France’s crown jewels are kept.

    The thieves are said to have been carrying small chainsaws.

    They made off with nine items of jewellery and they escaped on a motor-scooter. The value of the haul is being evaluated.

  6. Social media footage shows people stuck inside the Louvre

    Footage on social media appears to show security and members of the public locked inside the Louvre museum following the robbery.

    One person writes on X: "Just got to the Louvre and can see the security are locked inside! Everyone at the gates is being told that they cannot go in and that it is shut for today."

    Grey gates are closed at the entrance to LouvreX / @whatyouthinktom

    Gates appeared to be closed at the museum

  7. What we know - and what we don't know - about the robbery at the Louvre

    If you're just joining us, France's Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, says there has been a robbery at the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris.

    Here's what we know so far:

    • The incident took place this morning as the museum opened
    • There are no injuries, she says
    • The police are at the museum and an investigation is under way
    • A statement from the Louvre says it will remain closed for the day due to "exceptional reasons"

    And here's what we don't yet know:

    • We don't know what - if anything - has been taken from the museum
    • We do not know yet who was involved in the incident
    • It's also unclear how the robbery occurred

    We'll keep monitoring the situation and bring you updates as we receive them.

  8. Louvre says museum shut today 'for exceptional reasons'

    The Louvre museum is closed amid preparations for the Olympic Opening Ceremony in ParisReuters

    The Louvre Museum has posted on its official X account to say it "will remain closed today for exceptional reasons."

    It is not yet clear what, if anything, has been taken from the museum.

  9. French culture minister says police investigating Louvre robbery

    French Culture Minister Rachida DatiReuters

    France's culture minister confirmed there had been a robbery at the Louvre in Paris - one of the world's most famous museums.

    "No injuries to report," Rachida Dati writes on social media.

    "I am on site alongside the museum teams and the police. Investigations under way."

  10. Robbery at Louvre museum in central Paris, minister says
    Breaking

    There has been a robbery at the famous Louvre museum in central Paris, according to the French culture minister.

    Stay with us as we bring you more on this developing news.