LONDON — After an estimated $100 million worth of jewels were stolen at the Louvre in Paris, the museum’s director was summoned to appear before French lawmakers amid the ongoing investigation and manhunt.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist.
There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
Dati said that as part of the beefed-up security for the Louvre, she is asking that a police station be positioned within the museum, rather than having only museum security on site.
The Louvre remained closed on Tuesday amid the ongoing investigation.
LONDON — The director of the Louvre in Paris was called before French lawmakers to testify in the ongoing investigation and manhunt following the theft of jewels valued at an estimated $100 million.
On Wednesday, Laurence des Cars will testify before the Senate Culture Committee of France, answering questions about the security of the museum and the circumstances surrounding the Sunday theft of nine pieces from the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre.
Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Tuesday that the estimated value of those gems is $102 million.
Despite calling the figure “spectacular,” Beccuau said in an interview with the French radio network RTL that it was insignificant in comparison to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”. “.”.
“Perhaps we can hope that [the offenders] will reconsider and not destroy these jewels needlessly,” Beccuau stated.
The ongoing investigation into the heist at the Louvre involves hundreds of police personnel. There may have been additional accomplices, according to Beccuau, but the current investigation focuses on four primary suspects.
For the first time, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that an arrest had been made in connection with the theft of $1.7 million worth of gold nuggets from the Paris Natural History Museum during a break-in last month.
According to prosecutors’ statement, an investigating judge in the Paris court indicted a woman, whose identity was not disclosed, “for criminal conspiracy and organized theft of gold nuggets stolen from the Museum of Natural History.”. “,”.
The thief broke into the Natural History Museum on September, exactly like the jewel heist that took place at the Louvre on Sunday. 16 by slicing through two doors with angle grinders, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators think the offender broke open the glass display case containing the gold nuggets using saws and a blowtorch driven by three gas cylinders.
The prosecutor’s office stated, “Video surveillance showed that a single person broke into the museum.”.
The suspect, 24, was taken into custody in Barcelona, Spain, in September. According to the authorities, he was born in China. 30 days following the issuance of an arrest warrant in Europe.
The two heists from the museum are being looked into as organized crimes.
Since Sunday’s theft, a nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been underway. French President Emmanuel Macron promised that those behind the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history” would be apprehended by the authorities. “.
“A’significant amount of loot’ was taken by the thieves after they broke two displays,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
Dati claimed, “They knew exactly where they were going.”. “It appears to be a highly professional and well-organized endeavor. “.”.
A pearl and diamond tiara from Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense’s collection was among the jewelry stolen in the blatant daytime heist, the Louvre said.
When asked if she thinks the jewels are permanently lost, Dati replied that she has “confidence in the investigators.”. “..”.
“They’re the best team ever for this investigation, so I am quite confident,” she stated. “The key is to avoid wasting time, especially in cases like this one, as some leads were discovered. “.
According to Dati, the evidence gathered thus far suggests “organized crime,” but investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the heist was an inside job.
In addition to having museum security on site, Dati stated that she is requesting that a police station be placed inside the Louvre as part of the museum’s increased security.
In response to an ABC News question about her confidence in the safety of the priceless artworks and artifacts on display at the Louvre, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Dati stated, “It’s all being looked at.”. “..”.
“You must keep in mind that our buildings in France are historic monuments,” Dati stated. Therefore, securing them is more difficult. “.”.
A major delay in the “deployment of equipment intended to ensure protection” of the works within the Louvre from 2019 to 2024 was discovered in a report that will be released in the coming weeks by the French auditing authority, the Cour des Comptes.
The Sully Wing, which has only 40% of its rooms covered by security cameras, and the Richelieu Wing, which has only 25% of its rooms covered by cameras, are two examples of the Louvre’s rooms that are not fully protected by a video surveillance system, according to the report, a portion of which ABC News purchased. Neither of those wings contains the Gallery of Apollo, which is where the stolen Napoleon jewels were kept.
Although some initial research has been done recently regarding ways to improve security at the Louvre, the report also discovered that “operational implementation appears uneven and generally very limited.”. “.”.
As the investigation continues, the Louvre stayed closed on Tuesday. Tickets that visitors have already purchased are being refunded by the museum.
