Burglars stole more than $4.5 million worth of jewelry from the museum of a French glassmaker.
Officials at the Lalique Museum posted on social media that the thieves broke in early Sunday and swiped 27 pieces of jewelry in a short time, triggering the museum’s security systems.
The museum, dedicated to renowned glassmaker/jeweler Rene Lalique, is located in Wingen-sur-Moder in France’s northeastern Alsace region, 229 miles east of Paris.
Local public prosecutor Francois Antona said three gloved and masked robbers smashed open six display cases, according to newspaper Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alsace.
Museum officials said they notified police and are aware of which pieces were taken from the collection. Officials did not disclose the value of stolen items, but a source close to the investigation told news agency Agence France-Presse that the items were worth more than $4.5 million in total.
The museum was closed Sunday and remained closed Tuesday; officials did not specify when the museum will reopen to the public.
“We will repair what was broken and reopen as soon as possible. We are letting the investigation continue,” Wingen-sur-Moder Mayor Christian Dorschner, who is also the vice-president of the Lalique Museum, said according to Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alsace as translated from French.
The heist comes eight months after a break-in at the Louvre saw the theft of French Crown Jewels worth about $102 million. Four suspects have been charged with the Oct. 19 crime, but none of the stolen jewels have been recovered other than a crown that was found in the street following the robbery.
