The Louvre parked a crane and had maintenance crews install metal bars on the second-floor window used in an Oct. 19 jewel heist. Four suspects have been arrested after thieves posing as workers stole nine pieces from the Apollo Gallery; only a dropped crown has been recovered. A recent audit found about 35% of rooms in the Denon Wing lack camera coverage, and the stolen gems were not privately insured. The museum plans anti-intrusion upgrades and expects 100+ new cameras by the end of 2026.
Louvre Installs Metal Bars on Window Used in High-Profile Jewel Heist
Workers install metal security bars over the window where thieves broke into the Louvre museum in October. / Credit: Emma Da Silva / AP
A crane was parked outside the Louvre Museum in Paris on Tuesday, but this time the lift was in the hands of maintenance staff rather than thieves. Maintenance crews wearing helmets and high-visibility vests used the machine before dawn to install metal bars on the second-floor window that was used in an October break-in.
On Oct. 19, four people posing as workers used a basket lift to access that same window, entered the museum's Apollo Gallery, smashed display cases and stole nine pieces of jewelry. All four suspected members of the gang have since been arrested and charged. Authorities have recovered only one item — a crown that was dropped during the suspects' escape — while the remaining jewels remain missing.
The robbery exposed gaps in the museum's security. A recent audit cited by Radio France found that roughly 35% of rooms in the Denon Wing, where the jewels had been displayed, are not covered by security cameras. The audit also noted that the gems were not privately insured, which is permitted under French law.
In November the Louvre's director announced further security upgrades. Installation of new anti-intrusion systems was scheduled to begin by early December, and the museum expects more than 100 additional cameras to be operational by the end of 2026, according to previous reporting by CBS News.
The Louvre did not comment publicly about Tuesday's window-securing operation. Samuel Lasnel of maintenance-lift company Grima-Nacelles said he and his team arrived before dawn to carry out the high-profile assignment.
"We have already worked at the Louvre — on the interior, on the exterior, inside and outside the pyramid — we've been here several times," Lasnel told The Associated Press. "The Louvre knows us well."
The installation of metal bars is a visible, immediate step to prevent the same access method being used again while longer-term technological upgrades are rolled out.
