Louvre heist: French culture minister says museum's security system worked properly

Forensic police officers work inside Paris' Louvre Museum, on Sunday, October 19, 2025. THIBAULT CAMUS / AP

France's culture minister said, on Tuesday, October 21, that the security apparatus installed at the Louvre Museum had worked properly during a dramatic weekend heist, in which historic jewels were stolen from the world's most-visited museum. Questions have arisen about the Louvre's security, and whether security cameras might have failed, after thieves rode a basket lift up the Museum's facade, forced a window open, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels on Sunday morning.

"The Louvre Museum's security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact," the minister, Rachida Dati, told lawmakers in the Assemblée Nationale. "The Louvre Museum's security apparatus worked."

Subscribers only

After lightning Louvre heist, museum management and culture ministry feel heat