Story perspectives

Europol Warns Museum Thefts in EU Turning More Violent

8/24/2026

Summary

Story summary

Europol reports museum thefts in France and other EU states are becoming more violent.
Thieves now use sledgehammers, explosives and firearms to breach cases and threaten staff.
In October 2025 thieves stole jewellery worth €88 million from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery.
Four suspects with bats and axes stole seven gold objects from Paris’s Cognac-Jay Museum.
A gang blasted the Drents Museum in the Netherlands in January 2025, stealing Dacian artefacts.
Europol’s Serious Crime Centre provides operational and analytical support to EU investigators.

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Story summary

Europol reports museum thefts in France and other EU states are becoming more violent.
Thieves now use sledgehammers, explosives and firearms to breach cases and threaten staff.
In October 2025 thieves stole jewellery worth €88 million from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery.
Four suspects with bats and axes stole seven gold objects from Paris’s Cognac-Jay Museum.
A gang blasted the Drents Museum in the Netherlands in January 2025, stealing Dacian artefacts.
Europol’s Serious Crime Centre provides operational and analytical support to EU investigators.