On Wednesday, March 20th, a complaint was received by the Paris police regarding a planned attack on the Louvre Museum. This was reported by France’s “Le Figaro.”

It is noted that in a message sent around 4:00 AM on March 17th, unknown individuals stated their intention to blow up the Mona Lisa and many other masterpieces.

“We intend to blow up the ‘Mona Lisa’ and many other masterpieces. Just a warning: 100 kg of C4 bomb will cause a lot of damage,” the letter said.

After receiving the message, the Ministry of Culture requested active defense and security service officers on duty to search the museum for suspicious items, but nothing was found.

For reference, this is not the first time the Louvre has been threatened with explosives. In October of last year, the famous Paris museum, one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, and the Palace of Versailles were evacuated due to a bomb threat. Paris police thoroughly inspected the buildings, but nothing was found at the scene, and the museum reopened the next day.

Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the “Mona Lisa” (La Gioconda), has been attacked by vandals several times in the past 20 years. In 2009, a tourist threw tea at the painting, breaking the ordinary glass covering it at the time, after which a protective armored glass was installed. In May 2022, cream was smeared on the armored glass, and earlier this year, eco-activists threw soup at the portrait.