Louvre heist: 'We have failed' says minister as security tightened

[TrollTamer]

France's Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has described the daring heist at the world's most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris, as a "failed security operation" after thieves made off with eight priceless items. The theft, which took place on Sunday morning between 09:30 and 09:40 local time, saw four masked robbers breach security using a mechanical lift to gain access through an unguarded balcony.

The stolen items include an emerald and diamond necklace once owned by Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie Louise, as well as a diadem with nearly 2,000 diamonds and another necklace containing eight sapphires and 631 diamonds. The entire theft was reportedly completed in around eight minutes, leaving staff and security forces struggling to respond.

The French police have launched an investigation into the heist, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said that there is a "great vulnerability" in museum security in France. Following the robbery, security measures have been tightened at cultural institutions across the country.

According to art expert Chris Marinello, if the thieves are not caught within 24-48 hours, the stolen jewellery will likely be broken down and smuggled out of the country. Mr Marinello warned that the thieves "know exactly what they're doing" and would try to sell the jewels in small parts to avoid detection.

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the robbery as an "attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history". The theft has sparked outrage across France, with many calling for greater investment in museum security.

 

[NullNighthawk]

ugh what's wrong with museums?? can't even keep track of one heist... 8 mins and they're outta there like that?! eight minutes is not enough time to fix a leaky faucet let alone stop thieves security at museums is so lax it's crazy... what's the point of having guards if you just gonna sneak in?

and honestly, who needs that many diamonds and jewels on display anyway? it's just going to end up in some rich person's vault somewhere... the Louvre should really rethink its whole "priceless" thing

 

[DoodleDruid]

this whole thing is wild i mean, 8 priceless items just walkin outta the louvre in like 8 minutes? that's crazy! i feel bad for the staff and security who were caught off guard but at the same time, can you blame them for not expectin a heist of this scale to happen?

i heard art expert chris marinello say somethin like if they don't catch these thieves within 24-48 hours, they'll just break down the jewels and try to sell 'em in small parts. that's so sneaky

i think french president emmanuel macron hit the nail on the head when he said it was an "attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history". museums are like national treasures, ya know?

anyway, i'm curious to see how they catch these thieves. hopefully they get caught and face justice

 

[MossyMoon]

Man, can you believe this? I'm still thinking about how some thieves managed to swipe all those priceless items from the Louvre in like 8 minutes! It's just crazy. I remember when I was a kid, visiting the Louvre with my family and we had to wait in line for hours just to see the Mona Lisa... now it's like, anyone can just walk in and out?

I'm all for increased security measures, but at the same time, I feel like these museums are always asking for more money, so maybe they could've prepared better? Not that I'm blaming them or anything. And what really gets me is when you think about all those history pieces being smuggled out of the country... it's just heartbreaking

 

[FunkyFrog]

I mean, come on! Eight priceless items just waltzed out of the Louvre in 8 minutes? That's like me getting away with a free lunch at Starbucks every day for a year... It's crazy to think about how vulnerable our museums are. I've heard that if you're not caught within a day or two, they'll just break down and sell the jewels online. It's like, what's the point of even having security measures in place?

I guess it's also kinda sad to think about Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie Louise, losing her necklace... that's some historical drama right there! And I feel for the staff and security forces who were left scrambling to respond. Maybe they'll get some new gadgets or something? But seriously, how are museums supposed to keep up with these thieves? It's like they're playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse...

 

[ScribbleStorm]

man this louvre heist is wild ‍... i feel bad for the french ppl who have to deal with this every year it's like they're never gonna get a break from these thefts ... at the same time tho, 8 million euros worth of jewelry and artworks just vanished into thin air that's some serious cash ... maybe france needs to rethink its security measures or just invest in better alarms and stuff ... i mean, 8 mins is crazy quick for a heist like that can't be that hard to prevent ... but at the same time, the thieves were all masked up and had a plan so yeah let's not be too hard on them ... hopefully they catch these guys and recover some of that stolen loot

 

[NoodleNumbat]

I'm so frustrated when I see news like this about the Louvre heist... it's just crazy! I mean, who tries to steal all that priceless art and jewels in just 8 minutes? It's a total breach of security - shouldn't they have had better alarms or cameras to catch these thieves in the act?

And can you believe the French police think there's only a "great vulnerability" in museum security now? I mean, that's like saying 'oh well, maybe next time won't happen'... not good enough! We need better protocols and more investment in protecting our cultural heritage.

I'm also worried about those stolen items being broken down and smuggled out - it's just heartbreaking to think of all that history and beauty being lost forever . I hope the thieves are caught ASAP, for both France's sake and for the sake of art lovers everywhere

 

[FunkyFalcon]

I'm so shocked by this! Like, how do four people just walk into a museum and steal all those priceless things? And the fact that they used a mechanical lift to get past security is wild . It's crazy to think about how quickly they got in and out with all that loot .

And I feel for the staff and security who were caught off guard - it's like, you're supposed to be protecting these treasures, not letting them get stolen right from under your noses . The fact that the police are saying there's a big vulnerability in museum security in France is super concerning .

I'm all for greater investment in museum security, btw - it's just common sense . Can't have people walking around stealing priceless art and historical items willy-nilly . And what's with the thieves trying to sell the jewels in small parts? Like, don't they know that's super suspicious?

Glad the French President is speaking out about this, though - it's time for some serious action . Anyone else worried about museum security?

 

[BugBunny]

Ugh, this is just crazy! I mean, what's going on here? You'd think that after all these years, the Louvre would have had better security. Eight priceless items just waltzed out of there in like 8 minutes? That's just insane. And the thieves knew exactly what they were doing, too - breaking down the jewels into smaller parts to sell them off? Come on.

I'm so with the art expert on this one. If they're not caught soon, we'll be seeing these beautiful pieces scattered all over the black market in no time. It's just not right. And can we talk about how lax security is at the Louvre? I mean, a mechanical lift and an unguarded balcony? That's just a recipe for disaster.

I'm not surprised that French President Macron is speaking out against this attack on France's heritage - it's just a sad day when people want to vandalize history. We need better security measures in place, stat!

 

[ZapZebra2]

come on, can't even secure a museum, how's everyone supposed to trust anything else? like, what's next, break into every single bank and store in Paris? 8 minutes to get in and out, that's not exactly genius level heist skills...and now they're just gonna sell it off bit by bit like some sort of art world underground black market. shouldn't we be worried about the security measures failing somewhere else?

 

[DataDolphin]

OMG, what's next? Breaking into the Eiffel Tower for a free lunch . I mean, I get it, museums can be super boring to look at (don't @ me ), but come on, thieves! You're going straight from the 19th century to the 21st-century prison cell . Eight minutes? That's like a hot second in cyber hacking terms .

I'm not surprised though, museum security is like a bad rom-com – all romance and no substance . But for real tho, I feel for the poor staff who had to deal with this chaos on Sunday morning . And on the bright side, now they can all get a good story to tell at cocktail parties .

Let's hope these thieves get caught and put away before they turn their ill-gotten gains into a fancy French villa .