Officials say suspects used a truck-mounted basket lift and power tools to carry out the brazen Sunday morning theft at the world’s most-visited museum.

The French government will not be reimbursed for any losses related to the priceless jewels, according to experts.

In a matter of minutes, thieves climbed a ladder and smashed display cases before fleeing the scene with eight valuable artifacts. The jewels had been housed just 270 yards from the "Mona Lisa"

Is a Fedora-wearing French detective solving the Louvre heist? Social media certainly seems to think so, as an image of a so-called sleuth has gone viral online, with people online speculating that he is on the case to recover the jewels stolen in the brazen robbery.

PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre.

The theft from the Maison des Lumières in Langres is the latest in as string of cultural institution heists in France.

In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, thieves smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.

Louvre Museum reopens after audacious art heist of 8 crown jewels. Director admits security failures, sparking debate over museum safety and government oversight.