PARIS: The hunt was on Monday for the band of thieves who stole eight priceless royal pieces of jewelry from the Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris in broad daylight.
Officials said a team of 60 investigators was working on the theory that the raid was planned and executed by an organized crime group.
The heist reignited a row over a lack of security in France’s museums, with Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin admitting Monday to security flaws in protecting 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, and give France a terrible image,” he told France Inter radio.
After several other robberies from French museums in recent months, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had acknowledged Sunday that securing them was a “major weak spot.”
