Louvre Robbers Break Silence After Months: One Says He Didn't Know It Was the Museum
Two suspects in the Louvre heist have given detailed accounts, claiming they acted on orders from a mysterious client for a promised €15,000–25,000, with one stating he thought the target was a jewelry workshop, not the famous museum.
Nearly nine months after the brazen theft at the Louvre, the two main suspects have for the first time detailed how they carried out one of Europe's most daring museum robberies in recent years.
N. Abdulaj, 40, and A. Gelamalā, 36, told investigators they acted on instructions from a mysterious client who promised them between €15,000 and €25,000 for the crime.
Gelamalā claimed he did not know until the last moment that the target was the Louvre. "I was told it was a jewelry workshop in Paris. If I had known it was the Louvre, I would never have set foot there," he stated. Abdulaj, however, admitted he knew the target was the Louvre and agreed due to financial difficulties.
The robbery took place on October 19, 2025, in the Apollo Gallery. The group used a truck with a lift, two scooters, and wore yellow reflective vests to appear as maintenance workers. They broke a window with angle grinders and entered the gallery. They had a strict time limit of three minutes.
Eight highly valuable items were stolen—diadems, necklaces, brooches, and earrings once belonging to French queens and empresses, valued at approximately €88 million. During the escape, one of the thieves lost Empress Eugénie's crown, which investigators later found near the museum, badly damaged.
After the theft, they went to an underground parking lot in Obervilliers, where they handed over the loot to the client, who was unsatisfied with the haul. Both suspects refuse to reveal the client's identity for fear of their safety. Investigators have not yet found evidence of the client's existence or the whereabouts of the jewels.
The jewels may still be in France or have been smuggled out. Authorities fear that the unique historical pieces may have been dismantled and the diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds sold on the black market.
