€88 million of jewels stolen from the Louvre

Several men have now been arrested by French police after the recent robbery in Paris' Louvre.

The museum was broken into on the 19th October, within half an hour of opening that morning. The four criminals, who were dressed as builders, stole the jewels in minutes. Using a long mechanical ladder, they reached the Apollo gallery on the second floor, where France's valuable Napoleonic jewels were on display.

With the help of specialised equipment, two gang members cut through the windows. They smashed the glass cabinets and ran off with the jewels. The seven-minute robbery was worth 88,000,000 euros.

Tourists were left rather confused when the Louvre shut so soon after opening.

Janie: "You know, you think, in the Louvre, of all places, don't they have like the best security on the planet? So, it's crazy. I'm thinking an inside job maybe? It's really weird."

Others were asking the same questions about how such a crime was committed. According to security officer Elise Muller, the fault lies with the government. It's gradually been reducing money and resources which protect museums.

Elise Muller: "When you eliminate professional posts, sooner or later there's a price to pay. And this time it's been a dramatic one, we've faced something worse than a film scene. No one could ever have imagined we'd get to this point, in the world's greatest museum."

It's restarted an argument about the security of French museums. Four weeks earlier, gold items were stolen from Paris' Natural History Museum, and a Limoges museum was also targeted by thieves.

This latest robbery is being carefully examined by over 60 professionals. In their opinion, the Louvre theft was committed by an organised crime group. They're hopeful they'll be able to solve the whole puzzle soon. View Less