Louvre Heist: How Crown Jewels Were Gone in 7 Mins

"A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum," she posted, further adding that it would be closed for the rest of the day for " exceptional reasons" without further explanation.

Many were shocked to hear this news; the museum is known for being heavily guarded. An investigation is underway, but here is what we know so far:

Between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m., three to four men wielding small chainsaws arrived at the Louvre. They entered from the side facing the Seine River, where there is ongoing construction work, using a construction ladder and cutting the window panes "with a disc cutter". Breaking in, they headed towards the Galerie d'Apollon, where they stole "nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress".

According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, all of this occurred within the span of seven minutes. The thieves were "manifestly a team that had done scouting." Fortunately, there were no injuries, but once the news caught wind, the visitors were evacuated, the museum was sealed off, and even neighbouring streets were closed.

The Louvre is no stranger to attempted robberies. In 1911, a former worker hid inside the museum overnight and stuffed the Mona Lisa under his coat, walking out of the building once it opened. In 1971, Gustave Courbet's The Wave was stolen by professional thieves, never to be found again. One can only hope that, like many other pieces, the Crown Jewels are soon retrieved.