Chronology of Napoleon's jewel theft from the Louvre

BarcelonaThe robberyThis Sunday's exhibition of Napoleon's jewels at the Louvre Museum in ParisIt has left everyone stunned. The theft was surprising due to the thieves' speed, who stole nine pieces from the museum in just seven minutes, although they lost one along the way. A day after the theft, some details of how it happened have emerged. This is the chronology of events:

9:30 a.m.

Two men arrive in a truck with a ladder truck and park it on the François Mitterrand embankment of the Seine, below the windows of the Louvre's Apollo Gallery. This room houses the royal gem collection and the Crown Diamonds. One of the men wears a yellow vest, the other an orange one, and both cover their faces with black balaclavas. As if they were museum workers, they place cones around the vehicle and climb into the Apollo Gallery. Nearby, two motorcyclists wearing helmets and their respective motorcycles monitor the situation.

9:34 a.m.

The fake workers enter the gallery by cutting the window with a saw. Once inside, they threaten the guards with the same saw and break two display cases: the one with Napoleon's jewels and the one with French sovereigns. The alarms on the exterior window of the Apollo Gallery are activated, as are those on the two broken display cases. When the criminals burst in, the five museum security officers force the dozen visitors to the back of the gallery and notify the police. The criminals escape through the window, leaving the saw behind. Empress Eugenie's crown also falls to the floor.

9:37 a.m.

The thieves jumped on the back of the motorcycles and sped off toward the A6, according to security cameras. It was later revealed that the initial plan was to set fire to the truck and the deployed platform, but that this was ultimately abandoned.

Around 10 a.m.

Police arrive at the scene. Forensic police officers work around the clock to collect DNA samples and analyze the objects left behind by the group of criminals. Among these items are a box cutter, a yellow vest, and the forklift, which they were unable to set on fire.

10:30 a.m.

The first institutional reactions to the theft appear. Culture Minister Rachida Dati is the first to post on social media that a theft had occurred at the Louvre. Later, the Paris Prosecutor's Office opens an investigation into organized crime and announces that it has 60 officers searching for the culprits. The Prosecutor's Office is currently working on two theories: that a group of experienced thieves was acting on behalf of a collector or an oligarch, and that it was a money laundering operation.

Monday at 2 p.m.

Following a meeting on museum security, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez appeared to ask prefects to "immediately organize a review of the measures already in place around cultural institutions" and to "strengthen security measures where necessary."