Thieves in balaclavas broke into Paris' Louvre museum, using a crane to smash an upstairs window, then stole priceless objects from an area that houses the French crown jewels before escaping on motorbikes, officials said.

The robbery on Sunday raises awkward questions about security at the museum, where officials had already sounded the alarm about lack of investment at a world-famous site, home to artworks such as the Mona Lisa, that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024.

"The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History," President Emmanuel Macron said on X.

"We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice."

The thieves struck at about 9.30am local time when the museum had already opened its doors to th

See Full Page