Louvre thieves escaped with just 30 seconds to spare, inquiry finds

PARIS — Thieves who stole more than $100 million in crown jewels from the Louvre in October escaped with barely 30 seconds to spare, a French Senate inquiry said Wednesday, as lawmakers detailed a cascade of security failures that allowed the gang to slip away in broad daylight.

The parliamentary probe, ordered after the embarrassing Oct. 19 heist, found that only one of two cameras covering the break-in point was functioning and that security staff lacked enough screens to monitor footage in real time.

When the alarm finally sounded, police were initially dispatched to the wrong location, investigators told senators.

“Give or take 30 seconds, guards or police could have intercepted them,” Noël Corbin, head of the inquiry, told the Senate’s culture committee.

The report also cited outdated equipment, unaddressed vulnerabilities flagged in earlier audits and poor coordination between the Louvre and its supervisory authorities.

It said the balcony used by the thieves had been identified years earlier as a weak point but never reinforced.

The findings increase pressure on Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who is due to be questioned by lawmakers next week. All four suspected members of the motorbike-mounted crew have been arrested, but the missing jewels, valued at about $102 million, have not been recovered.