Connect with us

International

Thieves steal French crown jewels

They included the emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave his wife Empress Marie Louise, and the diadem of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.

Published

on

492 Views

•A tiara worn by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III was stolen

Thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre in broad daylight Sunday, taking just seven minutes to grab some of France’s priceless crown jewels, but dropping a gem-encrusted crown as they fled, officials and sources said.

Authorities recovered the 19th-century crown — damaged — near the museum.

The spectacular heist, one of several to target French museums in recent months, forced the closure of the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and home to the Mona Lisa.

Police are looking for a team of four thieves, Paris’s chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau, told the BFMTV channel.

Soldiers patrolled the famed glass pyramid entrance, while evacuated visitors, tourists and passersby were kept at a distance behind police tape.

It was “like a Hollywood movie”, one American tourist, Talia Ocampo, told AFP.

It was “crazy” and “something we won’t forget — we could not go to the Louvre because there was a robbery”, she said.

A culture ministry statement said eight items of jewellery had been stolen from the Gallerie Apollon which houses the French crown jewels.

“Two high-security display cases were targeted, and eight objects of invaluable cultural heritage were stolen,” said the ministry statement.

They included the emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave his wife Empress Marie Louise, and the diadem of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.

Beccuau said the thieves threatened museum guards with the angle grinders they used to break into the jewellery cases. She said a team of 60 investigators were assigned to the crime.

– ‘Unsellable’ –

The robbers used a powered, extendable ladder of the sort used to hoist furniture into buildings to get into a gilded gallery housing the crown jewels, sources and officials said.

The 19th-century crown of Empress Eugenie, was found broken near the museum afterwards, a source following the robbery said, asking to remain anonymous because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The crown, featuring golden eagles, is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the museum’s website.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

International

US tags 10 Nigerians ” worst of worst criminal aliens” for deportation

The  10 Nigerians listed in the latest update are:

Published

on

By

20 Views

The United States Department of Homeland Security has added 10 Nigerians to its “Worst of the Worst” register, a database highlighting immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over alleged criminal offences.

The latest names were published on the official DHS website and include individuals linked to cases involving fraud, identity theft, drug offences, assault, conspiracy and offences involving children.

The  10 Nigerians listed in the latest update are:

Temitope Bashua — Wire fraud, identity theft and fraud — Allenwood, Pennsylvania

Ojehoro Lewis — Cruelty towards a child — Conroe, Texas.

Osemudiamen Kingsley Oziegbe — Wire fraud — Louisville, Kentucky

Daniel Oworen — Dangerous drugs — Conroe, Texas

Raymond H. Ekevwo — Wire fraud — Oxford, Wisconsin

Franklin Dikeocha — Sex offence against a child – fondling — Dallas, Texas.

Johnson Ogunlana — Fraud and identity theft — White Deer, Pennsylvania.Wire fraud, dangerous drugs, possession of a weapon and aggravated assault involving a non-family gun — Allenwood, Pennsylvania

Tunde Korede — Conspiracy — Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

Chukwuemeka Chinye — Larceny from a banking-type institution, fraud, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy — Pollock, Louisiana.

DHS said the register was established to draw attention to immigrants it describes as the “worst of worst criminal aliens” arrested by ICE.

” Every day, the patriots of ICE are working to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country. Just yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, kidnappers, and other violent criminals to make America safe again,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.

Continue Reading

International

BREAKING: No Survivors in Kenya Safari Helicopter Crash

Published

on

72 Views

All seven people on board a tourist helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in a remote area of northern Kenya on Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed.

The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was flying on a safari route from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County when it went down at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time near Mount Ololokwe. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter was carrying six passengers and one pilot. Police later confirmed there were no survivors.

Five of the victims were American citizens, according to the U.S. State Department. Among those killed were José Alberto Suárez, a senior executive with Telemundo (NBCUniversal), and Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center, who was travelling with his wife, Stephany Hollihan. Both she and her husband died in the crash.

The aircraft was operated by Lady Lori Helicopters and was carrying guests of the luxury safari company &Beyond. Rescue teams, including the Kenya Red Cross, faced difficult terrain and a fire at the crash site during recovery operations.

An official investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said it is providing consular assistance to the families of the American victims.

Continue Reading

International

Trump Annex Strait of Hormuz “New US Territory” 

The development follows Trump’s recent comments that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory after defeating Iran.

Published

on

By

106 Views

US President Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz a “new US territory.”

Trump on Tuesday shared a map graphic on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns, labelling the Strait of Hormuz a “NEW U.S. Territory”.

The same graphic was also posted by the official White House account on X.

The image shows a blue-highlighted map of the strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with a circle around the narrow passage and the words “NEW U.S. Territory” displayed prominently.

The development follows Trump’s recent comments that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory after defeating Iran.

Speaking at a political rally in New York State on Friday, Trump said,

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”

Continue Reading

Trending