Israeli Security Firm Assists in Investigation of Louvre Jewel Heist
An Israeli security company led by a former Shin Bet chief has joined the investigation into the audacious jewel heist at the Louvre, as French authorities turn abroad for expertise in one of the most dramatic art thefts in recent memory.
CGI Group, owned by Yaakov Peri, the former head of Israel’s internal security service, was brought in to support French investigators. The firm earned international attention for its role in solving the 2019 Dresden Green Vault burglary in Germany, where thieves stole jewels worth about €113 million. Its involvement reflects both the scale of the Louvre robbery and concerns about possible organized networks behind it.
The theft unfolded Sunday morning when four men wearing balaclavas used a construction crane to smash through a window of the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon, home to France’s royal jewels. The robbers, wielding angle grinders but no firearms, threatened guards, seized nine pieces — escaping with eight — and fled through central Paris on motorcycles.
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Among the stolen artifacts was a crown once owned by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, which was dropped during the thieves’ escape and later recovered by authorities. Experts estimate its value in the tens of millions of euros but say it was not the most valuable object targeted in the heist.
Investigators also noted that the robbers left behind the Regent diamond, one of the Louvre’s best-known treasures worth more than $60 million. The decision to bypass such a prominent gem has puzzled prosecutors, who believe only the suspects themselves can clarify what instructions or motives guided their choices.
Authorities found a reflective vest at the scene and said the suspects tried, unsuccessfully, to set the crane on fire before escaping. While some experts downplayed theories of foreign involvement, others acknowledged the likelihood of a professional network, possibly linked to laundering drug profits.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the heist exposed longstanding security flaws. President Emmanuel Macron called the theft “an attack on our shared heritage” and pledged that the stolen treasures would be recovered.
