A jewellery theft from the Louvre in Paris gave a very negative image of France as it implied a failure of security services, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has said.
He admitted to security flaws in protecting the museum that had led to thieves on Sunday stealing imperial jewels in broad daylight, but said police would catch those responsible.
"What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels and give France a terrible image," he told France Inter radio on Monday.
Forensic teams are examining the site of the crime and adjoining access points while a full inventory is taken, authorities said. Officials have described the haul as of “inestimable” historical value.
It reignited a row over the lack of security in France's museums, which the country's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez acknowledged was a "major weak spot". According to the former Paris police chief, it was “clearly a team that had done their homework” as the windows were cut with a power tool.
"There are many museums in Paris, many museums in France, with priceless values in these museums," Mr Darmanin said, discussing the country’s reputation.
A global symbol of French culture, the Louvre is meant to be one of the most heavily guarded places in the capital. The museum has at times been breached, most famously in 1911 when Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen. The theft unfolded just 250 metres from where the Mona Lisa is currently hung behind bulletproof glass in a climate-controlled case.
Officials said a team of 60 investigators were working on the theory that the raid was planned and executed by an organised crime group.
The thieves arrived on powerful TMax scooters between 9.30am and 9.40am local time on Sunday, shortly after the museum opened to the public.
They used a furniture hoist to get access to the royal collection, and cutting equipment to get in through a window and open the display cases.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the gang broke into the Apollon Gallery – a sumptuous room on the first floor of the Petite Galerie that has housed the French crown jewels since 1887 – and that a piece of jewellery was recovered during the escape. “The vulnerability of museums is a long-standing issue,” Ms Dati said. “These museums must be adapted to new forms of crime.”
A brief clip of the raid, apparently filmed on a phone by a visitor to the museum, was broadcast on French news channels.
Alarms located on the exterior window of the Apollon Gallery and on the two display cases concerned were triggered, the ministry said. At the time of the break-in, which was “particularly quick and violent,” five museum security guards in the gallery and adjacent areas immediately intervened, it added.
The masked thieves stole nine 19th-century items of jewellery, one of which – the crown of the Empress Eugenie – was dropped and damaged as they made their escape.
The list also included a necklace containing 2,000 diamonds that Napoleon gave his wife Empress Marie Louise.
Also stolen was a necklace that once belonged to Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France. It has eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, according to the Louvre's website.
The raid took just seven minutes and was thought to have been carried out by an experienced team, possibly "foreigners", said Mr Nunez.
The intervention of the museum's staff forced the thieves to flee, leaving behind some of the equipment used in the raid, said the culture ministry.
The items would be impossible to sell on in its current state, said the president of the leading auctioneer Drouot Patrimoine, Alexandre Giquello. Recovery may prove difficult, though. “It’s unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds. “Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognisable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.”
It was the first theft from the Louvre since 1998, when a painting by Corot was stolen and never seen again.
Sunday's raid relaunched a debate over what critics says is the poor security at the nation's museums, far less secure than banks and increasingly targeted by thieves.
Last month, criminals broke into Paris's Natural History Museum, making off with gold samples worth $700,000.
The same month, thieves stole two dishes and a vase from a museum in the central city of Limoges, the losses were estimated at $7.6 million.
Sunday's theft spilt instantly into politics.
"How far will the disintegration of the state go?" said far-right National Rally party leader Jordan Bardella on social media, calling the theft "an unbearable humiliation for our country".
President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that "everything is being done" to catch the perpetrators and recover the stolen treasures.
Mr Macron this year unveiled an ambitious 10-year “Renaissance” project to renovate the Louvre, which included plans to secure the museum’s premises. The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world, with about 9 million visitors per year, and often plays host to events including fashion shows and charity dinners.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office announced an investigation into organised theft and criminal conspiracy.
