Several armed men robbed De Beers in central Paris on Thursday morning before escaping on two-wheeled vehicles, according to prosecutors and a police source.
The robbery took place at about 11:00 local time at the jeweller’s premises in Rue de la Paix, in the city’s 2nd arrondissement.
Prosecutors said the suspects were carrying long guns and that some fled on scooters. They remain at large.
During the raid, the men displayed their weapons but did not fire them, the police source said. No one was injured.
The Paris prosecutor’s organised crime unit has opened a flagrante delicto investigation and assigned it to the Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry under the charge of armed robbery by an organised gang.
A large-scale police operation is under way to find those responsible, according to the same source.
The value of the stolen goods is still being assessed, prosecutors said.
Europe 1, which first reported the robbery, said the loss could exceed €1 million.
De Beers, a South African conglomerate, is the world’s leading diamond company.
