For the first time, TV channels TF1 and France Televisions aired surveillance footage of the Oct. 19 heist at the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, showing two masked intruders using a basket lift and disc cutters to smash display cases. The thieves took nine pieces of jewellery; a crown was recovered when it was dropped during the escape, but eight items — worth about $102 million — remain missing. A security audit found 35% of rooms in the Denon Wing lack CCTV coverage, and unions have campaigned for more staff and repairs amid repeated museum closures. Four suspects are in custody and DNA and video evidence are central to the investigation.
Surveillance Footage Broadcast of Brazen Louvre Jewel Heist — Eight Crown Jewels Still Missing
Footage of the spectacular robbery at the Louvre Museum has been broadcast for the first time on French television, showing the brazen jewel thieves breaking into display cases. / Credit: TF1/Louvre Museum
Surveillance footage of the dramatic October robbery at the Louvre was shown on French television for the first time, providing a clearer picture of how the thieves pulled off the audacious daytime heist.
The video, broadcast by TF1 and France Televisions, shows two intruders — one in a black balaclava and yellow high-visibility jacket, the other in black with a motorcycle helmet — using a basket lift to enter the Apollo Gallery through a reinforced window on Oct. 19. They cut through the glass with high-powered disc cutters and smashed display cases while several museum staff observe without intervening.
Louvre management has stressed that employees are trained to prioritise visitor safety and evacuation rather than confront armed or dangerous suspects. The thieves removed nine pieces of jewellery; a crown was reportedly dropped during the escape and recovered, while the remaining eight items remain missing and are valued at roughly $102 million.
Workers install metal security bars over the window where thieves broke into the Louvre museum. / Credit: Emma Da Silva / AP
A recent security audit cited by Radio France revealed worrying gaps: about 35% of rooms in the Denon Wing — where the jewels were displayed — lack CCTV coverage. The audit also noted that the pieces were not privately insured, in line with applicable French rules for state collections, raising further questions about risk management for high-value displays.
Trade unions have pressured the museum for more staff and better maintenance, staging strikes that have led to repeated closures. One stoppage on Monday forced a full closure of the museum — the third since December — leaving thousands of visitors disappointed.
Police have taken four suspects into custody, including the two men seen on camera. Investigators have gathered multiple DNA samples and are treating the footage and forensic evidence as central to the ongoing probe. In response to the theft, metal bars were installed last month over the Apollo Gallery windows to bolster security.
Why it matters: The heist exposed critical security shortcomings at one of the world’s most visited museums, prompting scrutiny of leadership, renewed calls for staffing and security upgrades, and an active criminal investigation.
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