Khaberni - French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed on Sunday that the jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris are "priceless".
Nunez described the incident at the Louvre as a "major theft," adding that the thieves entered the museum from outside using an elevator and noted that they stole "priceless jewels," clarifying that the theft operation lasted only 7 minutes.
The French Interior Minister also confirmed there were no injuries at the Louvre Museum. He said, "It was necessary to evacuate the people (...) in order to preserve the evidence to allow investigators to work calmly."
Nunez acknowledged a "great vulnerability in French museums," saying, "We cannot prevent everything.. but we are doing our utmost to catch the perpetrators as quickly as possible, and I am optimistic."
He added, "It is not unlikely that the perpetrators are foreigners."
The robbery occurred, according to initial investigations, between 9:30 and 9:40 AM.
The Paris prosecutor's office has announced the opening of an investigation into "organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime." The investigation has been entrusted to the "anti-bandit squad" of the judicial police.
The newspaper "Le Parisien" reported that traffic is halted around the Louvre Pyramid, and the gates on the Seine riverbank are closed.
The Louvre Museum announced on its website that it closed its doors this Sunday for "exceptional reasons".
The French site "BFM TV" reported, "The thieves seized jewels, targeting the display fronts of Napoleon and some French kings, before fleeing."
