Louvre Robbery Gang Used a Brazen New Criminal Blueprint

A ladder truck, an angle-grinder, a maxi-scooter, and seven minutes. That appears to be all it took for thieves to nab priceless jewelry from the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum. The vulnerability of this cornerstone of French soft power adds to the country’s sense of malaise, and fingers are being pointed over apparent security flaws.

But it speaks to something much broader, too: Criminals’ boundless hunger for gold and other precious metals and gems — not fine art — as the value of these commodities soars.