A calm and cultural morning disturbed by a violent intrusion. While visitors were walking peacefully in the Cognacq-Jay museum, the establishment in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris was the target of a violent robbery this Wednesday morning. Four criminals, gloved, hooded and helmeted, operated around 10:30 a.m. while the museum was open to the public. Five collector's boxes and snuff boxes were stolen by smashing the display case that contained them with an ax and baseball bats.
According to the City of Paris, the municipal police and the national police intervened “immediately following the events” and “no injuries were reported”. Several items were stolen, but the total damage has not yet been estimated. The town hall of the capital announced, in a press release, that it “strongly condemned this violent action”. A psychological and listening unit was also set up “for the agents present who demonstrated great professionalism and an exemplary attitude towards this situation”, as well as for the visitors present during the robbery.
An investigation was opened by the Paris prosecutor's office. For its part, the City has filed a complaint and announces that it remains “at the disposal of the Police Prefecture so that the perpetrators of the acts can be identified”.
Also in the 3rd arrondissement, a 77-year-old former exhibition curator was arrested in 2023 for the theft of a work of art estimated at 500,000 euros, within the European House of Photography. It was a photo of the Ukrainian artist Boris Mikhaïlov, considered one of the most influential artists in Eastern Europe and to whom the MEP had devoted a major retrospective.
