Senate Probe Reveals Louvre Security Lapses in Jewel Theft

A French Senate investigation has revealed that thieves who stole crown jewels worth an estimated 102 million from the Louvre Museum in Paris escaped by just 30 seconds due to a series of preventable security lapses, allowing them to flee undetected in broad daylight. The heist occurred on the morning of October 19 in the museum's Apollo Gallery, where four intruders carried out the robbery in about 10 minutes before speeding away on motorbikes.

The probe, ordered by the culture ministry in the wake of the incident, was presented Wednesday to the Senate's Culture Commission. It detailed how the robbers accessed the museum via a riverside balcony, a vulnerability long identified but never fortified. Investigators found that only one of two security cameras near the break-in point was operational, limiting surveillance coverage. Security agents in the control room lacked sufficient screens to monitor footage in real time, delaying their response. When the alarm finally triggered, poor coordination between museum staff and authorities led police to the wrong location initially.

"Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas private security guards or the police officers in a car could...