PARIS, October 20. /TASS/. The vehicle-mounted mechanical furniture elevator that was used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum had been previously stolen by them from a private person, Le Parisien reported, citing a source in law enforcement agencies.
According to the newspaper, the vehicle was put up for sale on the Leboncoin adds website by a man whose identity is not disclosed. The robbers appointed a meeting with the man and when he came they stole his vehicle without paying for it.
According to the Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, four criminals got into the museum using a furniture elevator. They broke into Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) and stole nine jewelry pieces. They lost one of the stolen items, the crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, inlaid with 1,354 diamonds, while fleeing the scene. Investigators believe that the theft was committed by professionals, she said. The robbers have not yet been identified. Following the heist, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez instructed to toughen security measures at the country’s museums.