Gone in four minutes: how brazen gang robbed Louvre

Dramatic video footage captured the moment thieves at the Louvre broke into plinths protecting priceless jewels during a heist on Sunday.

- JAMES C. REYNOLDS

A hooded man wearing a high-visibility jacket is seen meddling with a large display case at the famed art museum in cameraphone footage.

Two thieves posed as workmen while two others arrived on scooters to carry out the daring raid in a matter of minutes, according to Le Parisien.

The daylight robbery happened at around 9.30am local time [GMT 0730], with visitors already inside, in what culture minister Rachida Dati described as a professional "four-minute operation".

Wielding power tools, the thieves used a basket lift to climb the gallery's facade, before cutting through a window with a disc cutter, smashing two display cases and fleeing on motorbikes with Napoleonic jewels, according to officials.

A witness named Samir told TF1 news that he saw two men "get on the hoist, break the window and enter". He said it took 30 seconds.