Di priceless jewels robbers tiff from Louvre Museum for Paris

Di Louvre Museum for Paris still dey closed on Monday, 20 October as police dey investigate one big robbery incident wey target France priceless crown jewels.

Dis robbery na di most spectacular robbery for di Louvre museum since di Mona Lisa disappear for 1911.

Thieves wey carry ogbonge tools bin break enta di world most visited museum in broad daylight, bifor dem escape on scooters wit eight extremely valuable items of jewellery.

Dis na wetin we know about di crime wey shock France.

Which jewels dem tiff?

According to di authorities, dem tiff eight items wey include diadems (one jewelled headband), necklaces, ear-rings and brooches. All na from di 19th century, and dem once belong to French royalty or imperial rulers.

Di jewels belong to Napoleon wife, di empress Marie-Louise; to im sister-in-law Queen Hortense of Holland; to Queen Marie-Amelie, wife of France last King Louis-Philippe, wey bin rule from 1830 to 1848; and to di empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, wey rule from 1852 to 1870.

France ministry of culture tok say di stolen items include:

Between dem, thousands of diamonds plus oda precious gemstones full dis pieces.

Authorities see two more items, wey include Empress Eugénie crown near di scene, wey di robbers drop during di escape. Di authorities dey check dem for damage.

Nuñez describe di stolen jewels "priceless" and "of immeasurable heritage value".

"One race dey wey dey go on right now," Chris Marinello, di chief executive of Art Recovery International, tok.

Dem fit easily break apart di crowns and diadems and sell dem in small parts.

Di thieves "no go keep dem togeda, dem go break-break dem, melt di valuable metal, recut di valuable stones and hide di evidence of dia crime," Marinello tok.

E go dey very difficult to sell dis jewels intact, e tok.

Earlier dis year, officials for di Louvre bin beg di French govment to restore and renovate di museum ageing exhibition halls and better protect dia works of art.

At di time, French President Emmanuel Macron bin promise say im go redesign di Louvre as part of di New Renaissance project - wey dey expected to cost between €700 million and €800 million (£608m - £695m; $816m - $933m).

Di project bin include reinforced security.

Di value of di jewels wey dey stolen

Di robbery bin take place for one gallery wey be just a short walk from some of di world most famous paintings – like di Mona Lisa.

But di criminal groups wey dey order dis kain heist no dey target world-famous paintings wey dem no fit ever display or sell. Dem dey prefer items wey dem fit convert into cash – and jewels dey di top of di list.

However big dia historical and cultural value, dem fit easily break apart crowns and diadems and sell dem in pieces.

Dem fit even cut large and famous diamonds. Di final sales price fit no reach di price of wetin di original artefact worth, but e go still dey okay.

Empress Eugénie crown wey dem tiff, wey dem later see near di scene of di robbery dey very expensive and valuable.

Di ornate crown get golden eagles and e dey covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to di Louvre website.

Di Louvre contain thousands of artworks wey dey famous around di world.

But in dia 230-year history na few thefts don take place for there.

How di robbery take hapun?

Di robbery hapun on Sunday between 09:30 and 09:40 local time (08:30 and 08:40 BST), shortly afta di museum open to visitors.

Four thieves use one vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to di Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) through one balcony wey dey close to River Seine.

Fotos from di scene show as one vehicle-mounted ladder climb go di first-floor window.

Two of di thieves cut through glass panes wit one battery-powered disc cutter and enta di museum.

Dem threaten di guards, wey comot from di premises, and tiff items from two glass display cases.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati tell French news outlet TF1 say footage of di robbery show as di masked robbers enta "calmly" and smash display cases containing di jewels.

One preliminary report show say one in three rooms for di area of di museum wey dem raid no get CCTV cameras, according to French media.

Around 60 investigators dey work on di case and prosecutors say dia theory na say di robbers bin dey under orders for one criminal organisation.

Di search dey on for four suspects and investigators dey study CCTV footage from di escape route.

One witness describe scenes of "total panic" as dem clear everybody from di museum. Later images show entrances closed off wit metal gates.

Wen di Louvre go reopen?

Di Louvre remain closed on Monday while investigations into di robbery continue.

For one message on dia website, di museum tok say dem go automatically refund visitors wey don already book tickets.

Police and security personnel dey around di site famous glass pyramid entrance on Monday. Dem also don put up metal barriers.

No informate dey about wen di museum fit dey open to di public.

Di Louvre dey always dey closed on Tuesdays, so di earliest dem fit reopen am dis week go be Wednesday.

Similar thefts don happun bifor?

For 1911, one Italian museum employee bin run wit di Mona Lisa under im coat afta e lift di painting.

Authorities recover am afta two years and di culprit later tok say im dey motivated by di belief say di Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece belong for Italy.

For1998, dem tiff di Le Chemin de Sevres - one 19th century painting by Camille Corot - and dem no ever see am.

Recently, rise don dey for thefts wey dey target French museums.

Last month, thieves bin break into di Adrien Dubouche Museum for Limoges and tiff porcelain works wey reputedly worth €9.5m ($11m / £8.25m).

For November 2024, dem tiff seven items of "great historic and heritage value" from di Cognacq-Jay Museum for di capital. Dem recover five few days ago.

Di same month, armed robbers bin raid di Hieron Museum for Burgundy, and escape wit millions of pounds worth of 20th century artworks.