Chinese Woman Charged in Paris Museum Gold Theft

A Chinese woman has been charged with the theft of gold nuggets valued at approximately €1.5 million from Paris's Natural History Museum. The theft occurred on September 16, when several gold specimens were stolen from the museum's geology and mineralogy gallery. The stolen items included nuggets from Bolivia donated in the 18th century, from Russia's Ural region gifted by Tsar Nicholas I in 1833, and from California dating to the gold rush era. A five-kilogram nugget from Australia discovered in 1990 was also taken. Nearly six kilograms of native gold was stolen, with damages estimated at €1.5 million. The museum's director, Emmanuel Skoulios, described the perpetrators as an "extremely professional team, perfectly aware of where they needed to go, and with professional equipment." He added, "It is absolutely not by chance that they went for these specific items." The museum had previously suffered a cyberattack in July, which disabled its alarm and surveillance systems. Investigators suspect the thieves were aware of this vulnerability. The suspect was arrested in Barcelona on September 30 while attempting to dispose of nearly one kilogram of melted gold. She was handed over to French authorities on October 13 and has been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy. The investigation is ongoing.