Louvre Security ‘Worked Properly’ During Jewel Heist, Says French Culture Minister

By Orlin Milinov

Paris:
France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati has defended the Louvre Museum’s security system following a daring weekend heist that saw thieves steal priceless Napoleonic jewels from one of the world’s most secure and visited cultural landmarks.

“The Louvre museum’s security apparatus did not fail — that is a fact,” Dati told lawmakers at the National Assembly on Tuesday. “The Louvre museum’s security apparatus worked.”

Her remarks come amid mounting public scrutiny over whether the museum’s surveillance cameras or alarms malfunctioned, after reports that the thieves used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s facade, break a window, and smash display cases before escaping with historical treasures.

A Painful Blow To French Heritage

Dati described the theft as a national wound. “The robbery is a wound for all of us,” she said. “The Louvre is far more than the world’s largest museum — it is a showcase of our French culture and shared patrimony.”

She confirmed that an administrative inquiry has been launched alongside a police investigation to ensure “full transparency” about how the heist unfolded. Dati, however, declined to specify how the criminals managed to evade capture despite the museum’s alarms and camera systems functioning properly.

Eight-Minute Operation

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed that the alarm was triggered immediately after the thieves forced open a window in the Apollo Gallery — the room housing the Crown Diamonds. Police officers reportedly arrived within two to three minutes after being alerted by a witness.

The entire operation, officials said, lasted less than eight minutes, with the suspects spending under four minutes inside the museum before fleeing.

“There are cameras all around the Louvre,” Nunez told LCI television, adding that footage from multiple angles is now being reviewed as part of the police investigation.

Historic Jewels Stolen

Authorities confirmed that eight objects were stolen during the heist. Among them were:

• A sapphire diadem, necklace, and single earring once linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

• An emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife.

• A reliquary brooch.

• Empress Eugénie’s diadem and a large corsage-bow brooch — a prized imperial ensemble symbolizing France’s royal legacy.

Louvre officials said the intruders were forced to flee when alarms brought museum agents to the scene, but by then, the damage had been done.

The audacious theft — reminiscent of high-profile European art heists — has reignited debate about museum security in an age where cultural treasures remain prime targets for organized criminal networks.