The director of the Louvre Museum in Paris resigned late on Wednesday after the crown jewels, estimated at 88 million euros (around 102.2 million dollars), were stolen from the famous Apollo Gallery in a spectacular break-in.
“After assessing… the consequences of the terrible attack we have just suffered, I submitted my resignation to the Minister of Culture, in accordance with my responsibility,” said Laurence des Cars during an address to the Senate.
She said that she accepted her share of responsibility in the “terrible failure” and acknowledged that the museum did not detect the arrival of the thieves in time.
“The weaknesses of our perimeter protection are known and identified,” said des Cars, pointing to a “very insufficient video network” and a “big problem with security checkpoints.”
She noted that the crown of Empress Eugenie, which was dropped and “quite damaged” during the escape, can undergo a “delicate restoration process.”
The break-in, which lasted no more than seven minutes, was carried out by four criminals who, on Sunday, used a stolen cargo lift to reach the gallery display case.
Investigators later discovered that the same lift was stolen from a car nine days earlier in Val-d’Oise, after the suspects presented themselves as potential buyers in an online advertisement.
In the hasty escape, the thieves left behind a scooter helmet, a blowtorch, a walkie-talkie, a yellow vest, a blanket, and a canister of gasoline, all now in the hands of investigators for forensic analysis.
The Louvre, which had originally planned a partial reopening on Monday, remained closed until Wednesday.
The thieves stole “eight items of priceless heritage value,” according to the Ministry of Culture, but dropped the crown of Empress Eugenie, which was damaged as they fled.
So far, no suspects have been arrested.
