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Louvre Heist: Senate Says Thieves Fled With Barely 30 Seconds To Spare After Security Failures

Associated Press|Associated Press
12:26 AM, 12/11/2025
Louvre Heist: Senate Says Thieves Fled With Barely 30 Seconds To Spare After Security Failures
The courtyard and the pyramid of Le Louvre museum are seen Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A French Senate inquiry found that thieves who stole crown jewels worth about $102 million from the Louvre escaped with only about 30 seconds to spare after a string of security failures. Only one of two cameras at the break-in point was working, staff lacked sufficient screens to monitor footage live, and police were initially sent to the wrong location. Earlier audits had flagged vulnerabilities — including a weak balcony — that were not fixed. All four suspects have been arrested, but the jewels remain missing and the Louvre director will face lawmakers next week.

Paris — A French Senate inquiry released a blunt assessment Wednesday of the Oct. 19 break-in at the Louvre that resulted in the theft of crown jewels valued at about $102 million. The parliamentary probe found a cascade of security failures that allowed the motorbike-mounted thieves to escape in broad daylight with barely 30 seconds to spare.

The inquiry concluded that only one of two surveillance cameras covering the entry point was functioning and that security staff did not have enough monitor screens to watch footage in real time. Investigators also reported that, when the alarm finally sounded, responding police were initially dispatched to the wrong location.

"Give or take 30 seconds, guards or police could have intercepted them," Noël Corbin, head of the inquiry, told the Senate's culture committee.

The report highlighted additional problems: outdated equipment, vulnerabilities identified in earlier audits that were not addressed, and poor coordination between the Louvre and its supervisory authorities. It also noted that the balcony used by the thieves had been singled out years earlier as a weak point but was never reinforced.

All four suspected members of the motorbike-mounted crew have been arrested, but the jewels remain unrecovered. The findings have intensified scrutiny of Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who is due to be questioned by lawmakers next week.

What’s next: Lawmakers are expected to press museum leadership and supervisory bodies for answers; investigators and the museum face pressure to upgrade security and address the uncorrected vulnerabilities identified by the inquiry.

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