French police intensifies hunt for Louvre Museum raiders
PARIS
French police have intensified their investigation into last weekend’s daring daylight heist at the Louvre Museum, deploying 60 officers to track down the thieves who made off with priceless royal jewels.
Officials said investigators are focusing on the possibility that an organized crime group was behind the theft, which took just seven minutes on Oct. 19 morning.
The robbers used a truck with an extendable ladder to reach the museum’s Apollo Gallery, broke through a window with cutting tools, and escaped on scooters with eight pieces of royal jewelry.
The stolen items include an emerald-and-diamond necklace given by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise, a diamond diadem belonging to Empress Eugénie, and a sapphire necklace that once belonged to France’s last queen, Marie-Amélie.
The thieves dropped and damaged another crown covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds as they fled. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said large amounts of CCTV footage from around the museum and roads leading out of Paris were being reviewed.
He also ordered tighter security around France’s cultural sites following what Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin called “a failure” that had given the country “a terrible image.”
A report by France’s Court of Auditors covering 2019–2024, seen by AFP, cited a “persistent delay” in security upgrades at the Louvre, noting that only one-fourth of a wing was under video surveillance.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, remained closed for a second day on Oct. 20, leaving disappointed tourists waiting in long queues. “We’ve been planning this for a very long time. It’s just disappointing,” said Jesslyn Ehlers, a visitor from the United States.
The heist, the Louvre’s first since 1998, comes amid growing concerns about security in French museums. In recent weeks, Paris’ Natural History Museum lost $700,000 worth of gold samples in a break-in, while two dishes and a vase worth $7.6 million were stolen from a museum in Limoges.
Authorities said the intervention of museum staff during the Louvre raid forced the thieves to flee, leaving behind some of their tools. The museum, which is normally closed on Tuesdays, is expected to reopen today.
