An Israeli firm owned by former Shin Bet head Yaakov Peri said the Louvre asked it for help in identifying the people behind a daring jewelry heist on Sunday.
But the management of the Louvre Museum denied having contacted the firm, the CGI Group, AFP reported.
CGI Group’s CEO Tzvika Neveh said in a statement on Monday: “At the Louvre’s request, we were asked—exceptionally—to help expose those involved in the heist and recover the stolen treasures, given our prior experience and success in solving the billion-euro Dresden heist in Germany in 2019,” Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
According to the report, some investigators believe the robbers had cooperation from employees of the Louvre.
According to France’s Interior Ministry, the robbers arrived near the Louvre around 9:30 a.m. and entered through an upper-floor window facing the Seine River, using a crane basket mounted on a truck—apparently part of maintenance work at the site—and climbed a retractable ladder into the Galerie d’Apollon, one of the museum’s most prestigious halls.
In less than five minutes, the perpetrators broke glass display cases, grabbed jewels and fled.
Two men entered the museum; a third remained outside, likely as lookout or getaway driver.
The escape was made on two T-MAX motorcycles. One stolen item—a gold crown adorned with emeralds and diamonds that belonged to Empress of the French Eugénie (1826–1920)—was later found broken outside the museum, apparently dropped during the getaway.
According to the French Ministry of Culture, the robbers escaped with eight rare and ancient jewelry pieces, including a crown from the set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, and a sapphire necklace from the same set.
One additional crown—also Empress Eugénie’s—was recovered outside the museum, damaged.
