Theft at the Louvre

Louvre security is being cut – six out of ten rooms without cameras

The spectacular coup against the Louvre is a “deafening wake-up call” when it comes to security at French museums. This is stated by the Cour des comptes, which is roughly equivalent to the National Audit Office, reports AFP.

A report states that security upgrades at the world-famous museum in Paris “have been far too slow”. Among other things, only 39 percent of the rooms had surveillance cameras last year, writes Reuters.

It is also established that the museum management has prioritized the maintenance of security systems when deciding on new investments, in order to instead purchase spectacular works of art that are in many cases not on display.

The management says that it accepts most of the criticism.

Four people have been arrested after the coup but the stolen goods, priceless crown jewels, are still missing.

Motocross profile suspected of jewel heist at the Louvre

One of the people suspected of the jewel heist at the Louvre art museum in Paris is a social media profile, known for performing tricks on motocross. This is reported by Le Figaro. The 39-year-old man has reportedly published clips on YouTube since the late 2000s and is now active on TikTok.

He has previously worked as a security guard at another museum in Paris and has been convicted of petty crimes. The 39-year-old was supposed to appear in court on Wednesday in another case, but it has been postponed.

Three more people have been charged with the heist.
 

The coup against the Louvre – the case at hand

• Crown jewels worth almost one billion kronor were stolen from the Louvre in Paris in October.
• The thieves used a basket lift and angle grinder to enter the Apollo Gallery and fled on mopeds, but lost Empress Eugénie's crown during the escape.
• The police secured DNA traces on, among other things, a moped and several tools, which led to the arrest of five people, two of whom have admitted their involvement.
• The investigation showed that several of the suspects had previously been convicted of thefts and that security deficiencies at the museum made the coup possible.
• Despite the arrests, the stolen jewels have not been recovered and the museum's security has received widespread criticism from authorities and governments.