Western media reported on Wednesday evening that members of the French Senate questioned Laurence des Cars to understand how four thieves managed to steal jewelry valued at 88 million euros (102 million dollars) from the world’s most visited museum in just seven minutes last Sunday.
A Western newspaper confirmed that the theft has refocused attention on security measures in French museums, with another theft reported at an institution in the east of the country less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in.
In her first public statement since Sunday, Laurence des Cars told French Senate members, “This theft damages our institution in its most important missions, and despite our efforts, and despite our diligent daily work, we have failed,” highlighting that all alarms were operational but admitting that surveillance cameras did not adequately cover the thieves’ entry point.
Following the reopening of the Parisian museum to tourists, measures were ordered to “accelerate” security procedures at the Louvre. Four thieves successfully breached the Louvre in broad daylight, stole historical jewelry, and escaped on motorcycles in just seven minutes last Sunday. The museum in the French capital of Paris announced its closure after the theft occurred within its halls.
According to initial investigations, the thieves, fully masked, reached the museum located on the banks of the Seine River, where construction work was taking place, and used a freight elevator to reach the targeted room in the “Apollo” wing, as reported by French media.
