The Daring Heist That Shocked the World
The art world was left reeling in October after a brazen, daylight robbery at the Louvre in Paris saw thieves escape with an astonishing £77 million worth of priceless jewels. The entire operation, from entry to getaway, was executed in a breathtaking seven minutes, leaving staff and visitors in a state of terror.
How the Heist Unfolded
On 19 October, a four-man crew, dressed in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets to conceal their identities, launched their audacious attack. Using a cherry picker to scale the museum's exterior, they reached the Apollo Gallery on the second floor. There, they smashed into reinforced glass display cases with chainsaws as horrified onlookers watched helplessly.
The thieves managed to snatch eight immensely valuable items before making their escape. The stolen artefacts included:
- An emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Marie Louise.
- A diadem set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds that once belonged to the wife of Napoleon III.
In their haste, they dropped a ninth item: Empress Eugénie’s crown, adorned with more than 2,000 diamonds and 56 emeralds, which was later recovered by authorities. The gang fled the scene using an electrical ladder mounted on a truck and escaped on high-powered motor scooters with accomplices waiting outside.
The Shocking Security Failure
While the precision of the heist seemed to suggest masterful planning, a shocking revelation has since come to light. According to confidential documents obtained by Libération, the world-renowned museum had protected its core security systems with a laughably weak password.
France's National Cybersecurity Agency had previously accessed a server managing the museum's video surveillance using the ridiculously obvious password, 'LOUVRE'. This critical vulnerability was reportedly highlighted in a 2014 audit, yet the weakness apparently persisted.
Laurence des Cars, President and Director of the Louvre, later told the French Senate that the museum's perimeter security was weak "due to underinvestment". She stated she was "appalled" by the state of the museum's security when she assumed her role in 2021. Crucially, the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery failed to capture footage of the window the thieves used to break in and exit.
Aftermath and Ongoing Investigation
The investigation has so far led to four arrests. Paris prosecutors have charged three individuals, believed to be the thieves directly involved, with theft by an organised gang. This suggests one other key suspect remains at large. A fourth person, the female partner of one suspect, has been charged with complicity. All four also face charges of criminal conspiracy.
Despite these arrests, the £77 million ($100 million) haul of jewellery remains missing. The search continues for both the missing suspect and the priceless historical artefacts, as the Louvre confronts one of the most embarrassing and costly security failures in its history.
