France intensifies hunt for Louvre raiders

"French police stepped up the hunt on Tuesday for thieves who stole priceless royal jewels from the Louvre museum in a spectacular daylight robbery. As the museum remained closed for a second day on Monday, officials said 60 investigators were working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the raid in which nine pieces of jewellery were taken. A crown covered in more than 1,300 diamonds was dropped in the streets of Paris as the robbers fled."

"Detectives scoured video camera footage from around the Louvre as well as of main highways out of Paris for signs of the four robbers who escaped on scooters on Sunday morning. "There are a lot of videos and this is one of the investigators' lines of work," said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. But as disappointed tourists rebooked tickets to the world's most visited museum, the heist -- which lasted just seven minutes -- also reignited a row over the lack of security in French museums, after two other institutions were hit last month."

"Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted to security flaws at the Louvre. "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, giving France a terrible image," he told France Inter radio. Nuñez has ordered better protection around cultural sites, his advisers said. A report by France's Court of Auditors seen by AFP covering 2019 to 2024 points to a "persistent" delay in security upgrades at the Louvre. Only a fourth of one wing was covered by video surveillance."

Police launched a major investigation after thieves stole nine pieces of royal jewellery from the Louvre in a daylight raid that lasted about seven minutes. Investigators, numbering around 60, are pursuing a theory that an organised crime group carried out the operation; robbers fled on scooters and a diamond-covered crown was dropped in Paris streets. Detectives examined CCTV from the museum and main highways. Ministers acknowledged security flaws after thieves used a furniture hoist and cutting equipment to access a gallery; a Court of Auditors report found delayed security upgrades and limited video coverage.

Read at The Local France