Art Heist at French Museum

Hooded gunmen stormed a French museum in Nice yesterday afternoon and stole two Brueghel masterpieces, a Sisley, and a Monet. The thieves ordered employees to lie on the floor before stuffing the paintings in bags and fleeing. Police believe the heist was a "special order" for a private buyer because the works are too famous to be sold on the market.

Only six visitors were in the Beaux-Arts Jules Cheret museum when the thieves entered. The gunmen tried to take a fifth painting but were unable to do so, according to a staff member. The Sisley and Monet paintings had been stolen once before, in 1998, but were retrieved by police within days. The museum's curator was convicted of that theft. (More robbery stories.)