Two suspects were arrested on October 26 after a theft‑robbery at Paris’s Louvre Gallery on October 19 that saw priceless jewels, including a necklace belonging to Napoleon’s wife, taken in an eight‑minute break‑in.
First Arrests Made
On Sunday 26 October, French newspaper Le Parisien reported that two individuals were detained the previous evening for a theft at the Louvre. Le Figaro reports one was arrested in Roissy while preparing to fly to Algeria; the other was seized in the Seine‑Saint‑Denis suburb.
Eight‑Minute Heist
On Saturday 19 October, masked thieves broke into the Gallery Apollo at the Louvre, where French crown jewels were displayed. Using a ladder mounted on a truck, they accessed the balcony of the first floor and then entered the gallery, stealing priceless jewelry in an eight‑minute operation.
The haul included a necklace belonging to Empress Josephine and the diadem of Empress Eugénie, valued at €88 million. Although French ministers said museum security functioned properly that day, director Laurence des Cars warned of weak and aging infrastructure.
Des Cars noted that only a single camera monitored the exterior wall where the break‑in occurred, and it was aimed in the wrong direction.
Director’s Resignation Rejected
In a statement to a Senate cultural committee, des Cars admitted a failure to detect the thieves early enough, recommended immediate upgrades to street security around the Louvre and the establishment of an on‑site police post.
She denied media allegations of delays in modernizing security, reductions in guard staff, or questionable expenditures, claiming she had raised these concerns long before but was only recently heard.
Her resignation was rejected by authorities, and she highlighted a forthcoming major renovation and modernization project announced by President Emmanuel Macron to restore the Louvre to a 21st‑century museum.
