Louvre Heist Footage Reveals Theft Details

Newly released surveillance footage from the Louvre Museum's Apollo Gallery has provided a stark glimpse into the October jewel heist that stunned the art world, capturing two thieves as they smashed display cases and fled with priceless crown jewels in broad daylight.

The video, broadcast for the first time on French television channels over the weekend, depicts the robbery on October 19, just one hour after the museum opened to visitors. The two suspects entered the gallery through a reinforced window, which they accessed using a boom lift and cut open with power tools including a circular saw and disk cutters. One intruder wore a black balaclava and a yellow high-visibility jacket, while the other was clad in black attire and a motorcycle helmet. Over approximately four minutes, the pair forced open several display cases with their fists and an angle grinder, pocketing nine historic pieces from France's crown jewels collection, valued at around 102 million euros.

Museum staff and security guards were visible nearby during the intrusion but did not physically confront the thieves. Footage shows a group of guards clustered at the gallery's threshold, with one briefly holding a...