Brazen thieves steal rare snuffboxes from Paris museum

Four thieves stole snuffboxes and other precious artifacts from a Paris museum in broad daylight Wednesday, a source familiar with the case said, breaking into a display case with axes and baseball bats.

Wearing gloves, hoods and helmets, the culprits struck around 10:30 am (0930 GMT) at the Cognacq-Jay museum in the touristy Marais district of central Paris.

The crime took place in full view of other visitors to the museum, which had already opened its doors to the public, the source said.

No one was hurt, but the thieves made off with "five historic boxes and snuffboxes" that were on display as part of an exhibition titled "Luxe de poche" ("Pocket Luxury").

The exhibition includes items from both the museum's own collection and objects on loan from world-famous institutions including the Louvre and Palace of Versailles in France and Britain's Royal Collection and Victoria and Albert Museum.

The value of the stolen objects is still being estimated.

Prosecutors confirmed to AFP that police were investigating armed robbery by a criminal gang.

Paris city hall said in a statement that it would offer psychological support to museum staff who "showed great professionalism and an exemplary attitude faced with this situation", adding that it had filed a criminal complaint.

The "Pocket Luxury" exhibition, which had been set to close Sunday, shows off "small, precious and sophisticated objects from the century of the Enlightenment" ranging from the 18th to the early 19th century, the Cognacq-Jay museum says on its website.

Among them are items made of "gold, ornamented with cut or precious stones, covered with mother-of-pearl, porcelain or translucent enamel, sometimes decorated with miniatures", or small paintings.