Thieves Raid Renoir Museum on the French Riviera

Shortly before 6 a.m. on Tuesday, two thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and took four paintings. They dropped one while fleeing police.

Officers spotted the suspects and gave chase, but the pair escaped with the other three works. Cagnes-sur-Mer Mayor Bryan Masson reported the theft on social media.

Last month, Europol warned that art thefts in Europe were becoming increasingly violent, with specialist gangs being replaced by opportunistic criminals recruited through social media.

The agency cited last October’s heist at the Louvre in Paris as an example. The thieves threatened guards and visitors and stole €88m ($102.3m) worth of jewelry, including Empress Eugénie’s tiara.

(Reuters, bak)