The Louvre heist took seven minutes

Question

On Sunday, October 19, four thieves broke into the Louvre in broad daylight and stole $102 million worth in jewels. Here's the kicker, it took only seven minutes to complete. Researchers are trying to figure out how such a guarded and secure museum was broken into in such a small span of time in the middle of the day. https://abcnews.go.com/International/thieves-robbed-louvre-minutes-minute-minute-breakdown-daring/story?id=126719610

Answer 1

This claim is considered to be true. 

CNN https://www.cnn.com/world/europe/timeline-louvre-robbery-intl-latam-vis

BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo

According to CNN and the BBC, the perpetrator arrived at the Louvre Museum at 9:30 AM using a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift, then stole the jewels, and fled at 9:38 AM on two prepared scooters. Therefore, it could be said that the robbery took about 7-8 minutes. 

However, the same articles state that the actual time spent inside the museum was 4 minutes. At 9:34, the thieves got their hands on the jewels. Due to differing definitions of what constitutes the duration of the robbery, it is conceivable that some individuals would argue the time was 4 minutes, not 7.

ABC https://abcnews.go.com/US/paris-prosecutor-deeply-regrets-disclosing-arrests-louvre-jewel/story?id=126907943

Incidentally, this article was published 8 hours ago and is the ABC News piece used for this fact-check topic. Even within this article, it states that the time taken for the robbery was 7 minutes.

Answer 2

In Time Magazines article covering the Louvre heist, it states that the entire affair took under four minutes. However, in AP's article on the heist, it says that it took under eight minutes in total, and the thieves were in the museum for four minutes. Overall, I think it's hard to say how long the heist took -- what do we define as the beginning and end of it? -- but it was for sure a very short amount of time.

Sources

Time Magazine

AP

Answer 3

When it comes to the Louvre heist, opinions on the exact time it took the thieves differ. However, while browsing articles, the statement that the heist was a 4-minute long event was mentioned by multiple sources. BBC noted "French police say the thieves were inside for four minutes and made their escape on two scooters waiting outside at 09:38." The article by Time Magazine says that "Investigators say the thieves entered and exited the museum in under four minutes." Finally, PBS states that politician and culture minister Rachida Dati claims that the heist was a 4-minute operation.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-to-know-about-the-louvre-heist-investigation-after-2-arrests

https://time.com/7326868/louvre-robbery-museum-crown-jewels/

Answer 4

Yes, this claim is mostly true that the Louvre heist took around 7 minutes. I fact checked this claim with the New York Times, CNN, and NBC news who had all published articles confirming the seven minute heist. According to the timeline published by ABC News, the thieves entered the museum at 9:34 and made their escape by 9:38, so you could argue that the heist really took around 4 minutes, depending on if you count the thieves' arrival at the Louvre at 9:30 part of the heist as well. If you count their arrival at 9:30, then the heist would have lasted around 7-8 minutes. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/paris-louvre-museum-heist-thieves-took-7-minutes-steal-crown-jewels-rcna238596

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/26/europe/louvre-robbery-france-arrests-intl

Answer 5

This is somewhat true. The total time it took the thieves was just under 8 minutes but depending on what one considers as the start and the end of the heist it could be considered less. If you count only the time spent inside the museum it took four minutes.

Sources:

CNN

PBS

ABC

Wikipedia

Answer 6

This claim is somewhat true but also a little misleading. Multiple sources say that it took 7-8 minutes, with some stating it took under 7 minutes. Although it is only off by a minute or 2, I think it is unfair to make this claim because there is no exact timing or numbers on how long it took. It would be considered true if it were a generalization. The most recent major robbery at the Louvre, involving the theft of French Crown Jewels from the Apollo Gallery in October 2025, was repeatedly described by French officials and media as a lightning-fast operation. The New York Times states that it took 8 minutes, whereas other sources, including the Culture Minister, emphasized that the thieves spent as little as four minutes inside the building proper, where they smashed display cases and grabbed the jewels.
Sources: https://apnews.com/article/louvre-heist-jewels-paris-timeline-a072c2a5aba6ab5eeb429a280266a799
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/world/louvre-jewelry-heist.html
https://abcnews.go.com/International/thieves-robbed-louvre-minutes-minute-minute-breakdown-daring/story?id=126719610
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo

Answer 7

This claim is false, the Louvre heist did not take 7 minutes. In fact it was even less time than that. According to a BBC article, the police reported that the group of thieves were out of the museum in four minutes, and escaped on 2 scooters that were ready outside. They arrived on the premises at 9:30 am dressed up as construction workers and accessed a window in the Apollo Gallery via a ladder. At 9:34 am they broke in using power tools and smashed the cases with those same tools, and stole 8 jewels. By 9:38 am they exited the building and were off on their escape. This information is also confirmed by two other sources, ABC News and AP News, both of which are highly credible. The two articles confirm the timeline of the robbery and highlights how the robbers entered at 9:34 am and were outside of the premises on their escape by 9:38 am, proving that it was in fact only 4 minutes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo

https://apnews.com/article/louvre-heist-jewels-paris-timeline-a072c2a5aba6ab5eeb429a280266a799

https://abcnews.go.com/International/thieves-robbed-louvre-minutes-minute-minute-breakdown-daring/story?id=126719610

Answer 8

Recently, on Sunday, October 19, 202,5, the Louvre was broken into and thieves managed to steal $102 million in jewels. The thieves took a basket lift that was mounted onto a truck and broke in through the window. They gathered the jewels and used a disc cutter to get through the glass. They escaped unnoticed and completed their mission. The heist was said to be under 7 minutes. According to ABC, “Seven minutes is all it took to artfully plunder the world’s most famous museum – and eight days for police to announce the first arrests in the brazen theft.”

https://abcnews.go.com/International/thieves-robbed-louvre-minutes-minute-minute-breakdown-daring/story?id=126719610

https://apnews.com/article/louvre-heist-jewels-paris-timeline-a072c2a5aba6ab5eeb429a280266a799

Answer 9

I found articles verifying the claim that the Louvre heist took around seven minutes. In the report from ABC News, investigators stated that the thieves completed the robbery in just seven minutes, describing it as an incredibly quick and well-coordinated operation. The article breaks down the sequence of events minute by minute, showing how efficiently the criminals planned and executed the theft. Other reports, including statements from the Paris prosecutor cited by Reuters, confirm that the robbery lasted between six and seven minutes. Overall, this claim is accurate and supported by official sources.

Source:
The Louvre robbery: A timeline of the brazen theft, investigation and first arrests - ABC News
Primary Source: Statement from the Paris prosecutor, reported by Reuters

Answer 10

The claim that states "the Louvre heist took seven minutes" is false. In many articles from the week of the robbery they states that the heist took just under eight minutes but a newer article from the Time tells us that "thieves entered and exited the museum in under four minutes on Sunday morning, escaping with eight pieces from France’s Crown Jewels. The stolen items include emerald- and sapphire-encrusted diadems, necklaces, and brooches once worn by the wives of Napoleon Bonaparte and other 19th-century royals. Officials estimate the value of the collection at roughly $100 million." According to first articles that were published we can say the hiest took 8-9 minutes but since more and more information has been released we can assume to take the newer news and information as correct.

 https://time.com/7326868/louvre-robbery-museum-crown-jewels/