The theft at the Louvre in Paris on Sunday joins a historic list of robberies, where valuable museum treasures are often taken without a trace.

It was just after dawn in Paris when the sirens began to wail through the narrow streets surrounding the Louvre. Soldiers with rifles guarded the courtyard, tourists were turned away, and the great glass pyramid stood silent under a gray sky.

Inside, the world’s most visited museum had been stripped of eight priceless jewels once belonging to Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. The thieves were gone, and the crime had already become legend.

Police say it was fast and flawless — less than seven minutes from entry to escape.

Security footage shows figures dressed in black, moving with precision on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 19. These people knew w

See Full Page