ISTANBUL

The Louvre Museum reopened to the public on Wednesday, three days after the crown jewels, valued at €88 million (around $102.2 million), were stolen from the famed Apollo Gallery in a spectacular burglary, according to Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

The break-in, which lasted no more than seven minutes, was carried out by four criminals who used a stolen freight elevator to reach the gallery’s window.

Investigators later discovered that the same elevator had been carjacked nine days earlier in the town of Louvres (Val-d’Oise), after suspects posed as potential buyers responding to an online advertisement.

In their rushed escape, the thieves abandoned a scooter helmet, blowtorch, walkie-talkie, yellow vest, blanket, and a can of gasoline, all now in the hands of investigators for forensic analysis.

The Louvre, which had initially planned a partial reopening on Monday, remained closed until Wednesday.

The museum said that certain sections remain “inaccessible to the public,” without specifying which ones.

Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, is expected to appear before the Senate Culture Committee to explain the circumstances of the burglary and detail the museum’s future security measures.

The thieves stole "eight objects of priceless heritage value," according to the Culture Ministry, but dropped Empress Eugenie's crown, which was damaged on the escape route.​​​​​​​

So far, no suspects have been arrested.