Paris – A startling securityโ lapse at the Louvre museum contributed to โthe October heist of precious jewels, with an employee revealing the password to the museumS video surveillance system was simplyโฃ “louvre,” according to Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau. Theโค revelation comes as authorities continueโ to search for the stolen items and at least one suspect still at large, despite charges being filed against four individuals.
The ease with whichโฃ the surveillance โsystem was compromised raises serious questions about security protocols โat one of โthe world’s most visited museums and underscores the vulnerability โฃof cultural institutions to increasingly brazen theft.The Apollo Gallery, which housed the stolen โฃjewels, โremains closed to the public as the examination continues, impacting tourism and access โto invaluable โhistorical โขartifacts. The value of the stolen jewels has not been disclosed, but their โrecovery is paramount to bothโ their preservation and the restoration of public trust in the Louvre’s security measures.
Four โขsuspects have been charged in connection with the robbery. The first two arrestedโ were a 39-year-old taxi driver โคand a 34-year-old delivery manโค and garbage collector fromโ the northernโข Parisian suburbs. Their โคDNA โคwas found at the scene, and โขthey “partially admitted their โinvolvement,” beccuau stated in a Franceinfo radio interview Sunday. The unemployed garbage collector โwas apprehended โat Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight โto Algeria.
Two additional suspects,a 37-year-old man โขand โขhis 38-year-old domestic partner,also from the northern regions of Paris,have since been charged. Beccuau noted that the suspects do not โคappearโ to โbe linked to organized crime.
“All avenues are being explored,” beccuau said, adding that recent arrests have “ledโ to new โsearches and the seizure of new objects that are beingโฃ examined.”