€88 million of jewels stolen from the Louvre

A number of men suspected of taking part in the Louvre robbery have been arrested by French police.

Lasting just seven minutes, the daring theft occurred soon after the Paris museum had opened on 19th October. Pretending to be construction workers, four thieves used an extendable ladder fixed on a vehicle to reach the Apollo gallery on the Louvre's second floor. France's priceless Napoleonic jewels were being displayed there. Two of the criminals sliced through the window with a power tool, smashed the glass cabinets and snatched the gems, valued at 88 million euros.

As the incident took place at 9.30 am, 30 minutes after opening its doors, the Louvre was forced to close again almost instantly, leaving hundreds of confused and dissatisfied tourists.

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."

Tourists were not the only ones wondering how such a raid could have happened so easily. Elise Muller, security officer at the Louvre and a union representative, believes years of cuts in public funding are to blame.

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."

The raid has reopened a long-running debate concerning the security of French museums. Only four weeks previously, the capital's Natural History Museum was robbed of gold samples, and a museum in the city of Limoges also had objects stolen.

More than 60 investigators are focusing on this most recent theft, believed to have been conducted by an organised crime group. Police hope to resolve this somewhat embarrassing case very soon. View Less