• Thieves have stolen gold samples worth €600,000 from Paris's Natural History Museum.
• The break-in occurred on September 17, reportedly using professional tools.
• Security systems were disabled due to a prior cyberattack.

Thieves have successfully broken into Paris's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples valued at approximately €600,000 ($700,000). The museum is famous for its extensive collection, notably featuring dinosaur skeletons and a geology and mineralogy gallery located in the chic 5th arrondissement of the French capital, according to CBS News and Le Monde.

The break-in was detected on the morning of September 17, with reports indicating that the thieves used an angle grinder and a blow torch to gain access to the museum. "While the stolen specimens are valued at around €600,000 based on the price of raw gold, they nevertheless carry an immeasurable heritage value," stated the museum's press office. Native gold is defined as a metal alloy containing gold and silver in their natural, unrefined state, as detailed by India Times.

Compounding the investigation is that the museum’s alarm and surveillance systems had been reportedly disabled due to a cyberattack earlier in July. An unnamed police source disclosed that the thieves appeared to exploit this vulnerability, reflecting a concerning trend concerning museum security. Emmanuel Skoulios, the museum's director, emphasized, "We are dealing with an extremely professional team, perfectly aware of where they needed to go, and with professional equipment," according to Le Monde and CBS News.

The museum has closed its mineralogy gallery as it conducts a thorough examination of its collection for potential additional losses. One notable gem in the collection is a native gold and quartz sample measuring 9 by 8.5 centimeters, which originated from the Donatia mine in California and was gifted by a wealthy French collector. This incident echoes a disturbing pattern of thefts from cultural institutions throughout France, as noted in reports of a recent break-in at the Adrien Dubouche National Museum in Limoges, highlighting the ongoing risk to national treasures, according to Le Monde and India Times.