33 votes

Thieves steal crown jewels in 4 minutes from Louvre Museum

19 comments

  1. [3]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    To be honest this whole thing sounds kinda cool. I hope they get the stuff back but at the same time it’s entertaining that this really happened. A glass disc cutter? Speeding away on motorcycles...

    To be honest this whole thing sounds kinda cool. I hope they get the stuff back but at the same time it’s entertaining that this really happened. A glass disc cutter? Speeding away on motorcycles through Paris? It’s right out of a movie.

    17 votes
    1. [2]
      smoontjes
      Link Parent
      I bet studios are already having meetings! If this is not a movie before 2030 I would be surprised!

      It’s right out of a movie.

      I bet studios are already having meetings! If this is not a movie before 2030 I would be surprised!

      4 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        ...Okay but that would make for a hilarious sting operation. Movie executives asking the thieves to come forward so they can work out a deal for rights to the story. Would it work? Probably not....

        ...Okay but that would make for a hilarious sting operation. Movie executives asking the thieves to come forward so they can work out a deal for rights to the story.

        Would it work? Probably not. But it'd be hilarious if it did.

        3 votes
  2. [4]
    tomf
    Link
    offtopic, but i wish we had a proper heist video game where we have to plan everything ourselves and it isn’t all set out… and if we do get away, there’s an investigation going on in the...

    offtopic, but i wish we had a proper heist video game where we have to plan everything ourselves and it isn’t all set out… and if we do get away, there’s an investigation going on in the background while we are doing other in-game things.

    on topic, i hope we eventually get to see a lot of cctv footage.

    13 votes
    1. [3]
      first-must-burn
      Link Parent
      It would be cool if you had players on both sides, planning the thefts and solving the crimes / find and capture the criminals.

      It would be cool if you had players on both sides, planning the thefts and solving the crimes / find and capture the criminals.

      4 votes
      1. aphoenix
        Link Parent
        Perfect Heist 2 is kind of this, but it's much more comical and the planning is fairly minimal. But it's a relatively good, if goofy, facsimile of doing heists.

        Perfect Heist 2 is kind of this, but it's much more comical and the planning is fairly minimal. But it's a relatively good, if goofy, facsimile of doing heists.

        4 votes
      2. tomf
        Link Parent
        yesss! sort of a mix of GTA RP with the spreadsheets of EvE. There was a massive bank heist or something a few years ago in GTA RP --- something like five banks. That sort of thing would be fun.

        yesss! sort of a mix of GTA RP with the spreadsheets of EvE. There was a massive bank heist or something a few years ago in GTA RP --- something like five banks. That sort of thing would be fun.

        2 votes
  3. [2]
    Fiachra
    Link
    A truly historic I-told-you-so. Makes you wonder if the thieves had read about these same issues and identified them as a key weakness to exploit.

    [...] among the highest-profile museum thefts in living memory and comes as staff complained that crowding and thin staffing are straining security.

    A truly historic I-told-you-so. Makes you wonder if the thieves had read about these same issues and identified them as a key weakness to exploit.

    11 votes
    1. DeaconBlue
      Link Parent
      Thankfully, the museum managed to save several thousand dollars on staffing costs.

      Thankfully, the museum managed to save several thousand dollars on staffing costs.

      5 votes
  4. DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    You really can get anywhere with a hard hat and a basket lift. This really does feel like somebody should be checking whether Danny Ocean got out of jail recently

    You really can get anywhere with a hard hat and a clipboard basket lift.

    This really does feel like somebody should be checking whether Danny Ocean got out of jail recently

    8 votes
  5. [3]
    TaylorSwiftsPickles
    Link
    stealing crown jewels speedrun any%

    stealing crown jewels speedrun any%

    12 votes
    1. [2]
      JCPhoenix
      Link Parent
      I hear Danny Ocean was seen in Paris recently...Along with celebrity actress Julia Roberts.

      I hear Danny Ocean was seen in Paris recently...Along with celebrity actress Julia Roberts.

      4 votes
      1. DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        Ah my joke was thwarted by reading the whole article and thus being late to the punchline

        Ah my joke was thwarted by reading the whole article and thus being late to the punchline

        2 votes
  6. [5]
    CannibalisticApple
    Link
    Well that's a fun headline. And a fun news story, it really does seem straight out of a movie. I almost wonder if the thieves did it just to see if they could.

    Well that's a fun headline. And a fun news story, it really does seem straight out of a movie. I almost wonder if the thieves did it just to see if they could.

    5 votes
    1. [4]
      slade
      Link Parent
      I'm not sure what they can do with them. Seems like a difficult thing to fence.

      I'm not sure what they can do with them. Seems like a difficult thing to fence.

      1 vote
      1. tomf
        Link Parent

        Recovery may prove difficult. “It’s unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds. “Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.”

        5 votes
      2. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        That's why I wonder if it was done just for fun. However, they also don't need to sell them whole. The mention of them retrieving Eugenie's crown in a "broken" state reminded me of the second Pink...

        That's why I wonder if it was done just for fun. However, they also don't need to sell them whole. The mention of them retrieving Eugenie's crown in a "broken" state reminded me of the second Pink Panther movie from 2009. Dumb as it was, it made a point that stuck with me about how the Pink Panther diamond could be broken into smaller diamonds and sold without being recognizable.

        The article mentioned Eugenie's crown has (or maybe had) more than 1,300 small diamonds in it, and the others also have a lot of smaller jewels besides the most eye-catching pieces. While the crown jewels are more valuable whole, the individual jewels still have a lot of value overall. I expect it would be fairly easy to sell those to various stores without arousing suspicion.

        2 votes
      3. Fal
        Link Parent
        In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private...

        In another article I saw it was mentioned that sometimes wealthy collectors hire thieves to steal art, and thus there is no risk from trying to sell it since they are keeping it for their private collection.

        1 vote
  7. Pistos
    Link
    Brings to mind the consideration of whether we should pay attention to such things (or even publish news about them), as the fame (infamy) may fuel and encourage future similar crimes. Similarly,...

    Brings to mind the consideration of whether we should pay attention to such things (or even publish news about them), as the fame (infamy) may fuel and encourage future similar crimes. Similarly, some argue that mass shooters, etc. should not be named or depicted (face) in news, for the similar reasons (though coverage of the tragic events themselves would be acceptable).

    3 votes