Louvre robbery: see the stolen jewels
See what was stolen during the robbery at Paris’ famous Louvre Museum.
The Louvre’s outdated security system was unable to stop and detect the burglar in time to prevent the daytime heist of eight French crown jewels worth millions, the museum’s director announced on October 22nd.
A group of robbers broke into the world’s most visited museum on Sunday, October 19th, using simple cutting tools and an electric ladder from a truck to gain entry to the Paris Museum of Fine Arts. French authorities said they stole eight “precious” pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million before fleeing on motorbikes.
News of the brazen robbery shocked the world and sparked criticism of the museum’s lack of security. Some French officials called the incident a national humiliation.
Laurence de Cars, director and director of the Louvre, testified about the robbery on October 22 before the French Senate’s Committee on Culture, Education and Sport. De Cars told French senators that he had offered to resign following the incident, but that his request to resign was rejected by Culture Minister Rashida Dati, who is also being sought in connection with the robbery.
“We did not detect the thieves’ arrival early enough,” De Cale said during a two-hour hearing in which French senators questioned the museum’s “decrepit” state and weak security.
De Kaal acknowledged that the Louvre’s cameras failed to detect the robbers and that there were not enough outside cameras monitoring the perimeter of the museum. She added that outdoor surveillance cameras did not fully cover the museum’s facade, and the window where the robbers entered was not monitored by surveillance cameras.
The Louvre director previously warned about the museum’s outdated security system
Earlier this year, the museum asked the French government for help to restore and renovate its dilapidated exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of art.
In his letter to Dati, De Cal pointed to several problems at the museum, including water leaks and “alarming temperature fluctuations that jeopardize the preservation of artworks.” Des Cars also wrote that visiting a museum is a “physical ordeal” and that visitors have trouble locating works due to insufficient signage, spaces for people to rest, and inadequate sanitation facilities. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a 10-year plan to repair aging infrastructure at cultural institutions and ease visitor crowds.
At the Oct. 22 hearing, De Cal said he had repeatedly warned that the centuries-old building was in dire condition. “Last Sunday, the warnings I was sounding were horribly borne out,” she told French senators.
De Cars promised to ask the Interior Ministry to create a no-parking perimeter around the museum, upgrade the surveillance camera system and set up a police station inside the museum.
Security checks were also carried out at cultural institutions across France following a robbery of a museum visitor within 30 minutes of the museum opening. Paris is home to several world-renowned cultural institutions, including the Louvre and museums such as the Musée d’Orsay, Musee Pompidou, and Musee Quai Branly.
USA TODAY and Reuters previously reported that at least four French museums have been robbed in the past two months, including the Natural History Museum in Paris. French prosecutors announced that a Chinese-born woman has been charged with stealing six gold bars worth about $1.75 million from the Paris Museum of Natural History. Prosecutors said she was arrested in Barcelona while trying to dispose of the melted gold.
How did the robbers get into the Louvre?
French officials said the robbery occurred at around 9:30 a.m. local time on October 19, as visitors rushed into the museum. The four suspects were driving a truck carrying an electric telescoping ladder and stopped on a road near the Seine River south of the Louvre Museum.
Officials said they then extended a ladder to the museum’s second-floor balcony, where two suspects climbed onto the balcony while the other two remained in the truck. They used power tools to break through a window leading to the gilded Apollo Museum, where French royal jewels are displayed.
Once inside, the suspect set off an alarm and broke a glass display case, snatching pieces of historical jewelry as museum staff evacuated panicked tourists, officials said. The robbery took place about 270 meters from the Mona Lisa painting.
The two suspects then climbed down the ladder and all four fled on two motorcycles, officials said. Investigators believe three to four experienced thieves were involved in the robbery.
“We have seen some footage. They are not targeting people. Within four minutes they enter quietly, destroy display cases, take the loot and leave. There is no violence, they are very professional,” Dati told local news outlets on October 19.
Officials said the thieves tried to steal nine items from the collection, but dropped one item as they fled. A gold crown encrusted with diamonds and emeralds that belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, was discovered on the ground outside the museum. Paris prosecutor Laure Becuaux previously said the crown was damaged but had recovered.
Following the incident, the museum was closed all day on October 19th, and then until October 21st. The Louvre reopened to visitors on October 22nd.
What items were stolen from the Louvre?
Eight pieces were taken from a partially matching set, museum officials said.
- sapphire tiara: It was once owned by 19th-century French queens Marie Amélie and Hortense.
- sapphire necklace: From the Marie Amélie and Hortense collection.
- Single sapphire earrings: One of a pair from the Marie Amélie and Hortense collection.
- emerald necklace: Worn by Empress Marie Louise, second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
- emerald earrings: Matches the necklace from the Marie Louise collection.
- Tiara: Worn by Empress Eugenie of Napoleon III.
- Large body knot brooch: Also known as the “corsage ribbon brooch” from Empress Eugénie’s collection.
- holy relic brooch: A brooch designed to display historical relics.
Contributions: Carissa Wadick, N’Dare Yancey Bragg, Janet Rourke, George Petras, USA Today. Reuters
