The world-famous Paris art museum was preparing to open on Sunday when a gang broke in to plunder priceless jewellery that once belonged to the family of Napoleon Bonaparte

Never say never. The Mona Lisa (1503), undoubtedly the main attraction at the Louvre, was stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, was an Italian handyman working at the Louvre and was caught trying to sell it.

A manhunt is underway to find the four thieves before the jewels - which once belonged to French royals - are broken up.

Video shows one of the suspected Louvre jewel thieves brazenly cutting through a glass case using a mini chainsaw before making off with the loot during Sunday’s heist at the Paris