A Louvre museum guard claims that the thieves were unable to take everything they wanted. During the heist in the Apollo Gallery, five museum employees were present. According to the guard, her colleagues managed to force the thieves to abandon some of the jewelry. “They didn’t take everything they wanted. It could have ended much worse,” she said on RTL radio, with her name withheld.

The Louvre employee said that around 09:30 local time, as visitors were just starting to fill the galleries, four masked assailants entered the building, prompting an evacuation. “When we began to evacuate people, they had only just started cutting [the glass],” the guard continued. She added that the tools used indicated that the attackers were well-prepared.

On October 19, Paris prosecutor Lore Beko reported that four criminals entered the Louvre using a hydraulic lift they brought to the walls. After breaking into the display cases in the Apollo Gallery, they stole a total of nine pieces of jewelry, one of which—the crown of Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III) encrusted with 1,354 diamonds—was dropped during the escape. According to the prosecutor, investigators believe the heist was carried out by professionals. Beko noted that the stolen jewelry is valued at €88 million. French police have traced the thieves’ route in Paris and neighboring departments, and the investigation is ongoing.