Louvre Security System Functioned During Historic Napoleon Jewelry Heist, French Minister Confirms

Officials confirmed the entire heist took less than eight minutes to execute. (File)

On Tuesday, France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati affirmed that the Louvre Museum's security systems functioned properly during the weekend jewelry heist that shocked the art world.

Concerns had emerged about potential security camera failures after thieves used a basket lift to scale the museum's facade, forced entry through a window, shattered display cases, and escaped with invaluable Napoleonic jewels early Sunday morning.

"The Louvre museum's security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact," Dati declared to legislators in the National Assembly. "The Louvre museum's security apparatus worked."

Dati announced she has initiated an administrative inquiry alongside the ongoing police investigation to ensure complete transparency regarding the incident. She provided no specific information about how the thieves successfully executed their heist despite functioning security cameras.

She characterized the theft as deeply wounding for the entire nation.

"This robbery represents a wound for all of us," she stated. "Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the world's largest museum. It's a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony."

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed Monday that the museum's alarm was triggered when intruders forced open the Apollo Gallery window.

Police arrived at the scene within two to three minutes after being alerted by a witness, Nunez told LCI television.

According to officials, the entire heist lasted less than eight minutes, with the thieves spending fewer than four minutes inside the museum.

Nunez withheld details about video surveillance footage that may have captured the thieves in and around the museum, citing the ongoing police investigation. "There are cameras all around the Louvre," he noted.

Sunday's theft targeted the ornate Apollo Gallery where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Although alarms summoned Louvre security agents to the room, forcing the intruders to flee, they had already completed the robbery.

Officials reported eight stolen items: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set associated with 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise's collection (Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife); a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenie's diadem along with her large corsage-bow brooch, considered a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble.

(This article has not undergone editing by staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated source.)