Guns, axes, explosives: violent museum heists are on the rise, says Europol
Europol has warned that robberies at European museums are becoming increasingly violent, with thieves using guns, sledgehammers, axes and even explosives rather than relying on the stealthier methods traditionally associated with cultural goods theft. The EU police agency said this shift towards forceful tactics could signal the involvement of new criminal networks, sometimes recruited on an ad hoc basis via social media, who target specific artefacts rather than operating through the organised, leader-led groups typical of established trafficking rings.
The report, published on Monday, found precious metals, jewellery and ancient Chinese porcelain to be favoured targets because of their resale value and ease of disposal, with gold and silver often melted down. It cited a January 2025 raid in which a gang used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, a 2024 robbery at the Cognacq-Jay museum in Paris involving axe- and baseball bat-wielding suspects, and October 2025's Louvre heist, in which thieves threatened guards, smashed display cases and stole jewellery worth an estimated €88m. Europol suggested low-level thieves may be recruited on a "crime-as-a-service" basis, or that established criminal networks have recognised museum heists as low-risk, high-profit opportunities.
In short
- Europol reports rising violence in European museum robberies, including firearms and explosives
- New, loosely organised criminal networks may be targeting specific valuable artefacts
- Louvre, Drents Museum and Cognacq-Jay heists cited as recent violent examples
Explained simply
Museum theft sits at the intersection of art crime and the wider trade in stolen goods. Some objects are valuable for their history or craftsmanship, while precious metals and jewellery can be melted down or sold, making them harder to trace.
Europol is the European Union agency that helps police forces share information and investigate cross-border crime. Its report points to a possible change in who carries out museum robberies: established trafficking groups may be joined by loosely organised crews brought together for a specific job.
The issue matters because stolen artefacts can be damaged or lost to the public, and their sale can be difficult to track across borders. Museums, national police forces and international agencies all have a role in protecting collections and investigating thefts.