Fresh video footage has emerged of the daring, slow-motion escape of two robbers after they made off with an estimated €88 million (£76 million) worth of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre Museum. The dramatic, 36-second video is the latest turn in the nation’s most sensational heist in decades.
The break-in, which was discovered just after the museum opened on Sunday morning, has exposed “highly insufficient” security at the world’s most popular museum. Over 100 investigators are currently working on the case.
Louvre thieves caught on camera escaping slowly with crown jewels pic.twitter.com/4PTS8uOXBx
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The Escape: Furniture Lift And Scooters
The newly authenticated video, said to have been taken from a nearby museum window, shows the moment of the thieves’ getaway from the Apollo gallery, where the jewels were kept.
The Descent: The two men, both attired in black, descend slowly on a temporary furniture lift. One of them wore a yellow hi-vis vest, and the other a motorcycle helmet.
The Getaway Vehicle: The lift brought the men down to the Quai François Mitterrand, where the thieves had previously placed a stolen truck with an extendable ladder of 30-metres (90ft) and a basket lift, used to enter the first-floor gallery.
Security Recognised the Break: A voice, reputedly that of a security officer, is heard over what appears to be a walkie-talkie uttering, “The people are on scooters. They’re going to go, they’re going to go.” A few seconds later, the men are heard whizzing away on two scooters.
Inside the Seven-Minute Heist
The heist involved a four-man gang, two of whom entered museum property.
The Break-in: The robbers broke into the Apollo gallery around 9:30 am on Sunday. They entered through a seemingly insecure window that they smashed and subsequently used disc cutters to break two display cases housing the royal jewelry.
Targeted Jewels: Among the spoils were eight items of great worth, including an emerald and diamond necklace Napoleon I presented to his second wife, Marie Louise, and a diadem that belonged to Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III’s wife.
Speed of the Crime: French media put the entire operation at less than seven minutes. The two men who went into the gallery spent only 3 minutes and 58 seconds inside.
Louvre Director Admits “Terrible Failure”
Security flaws that enabled the theft have been the subject of scathing criticism. Grilled by senators on Wednesday, Louvre Director Laurence des Cars admitted a “terrible failure” in museum defenses.
Des Cars openly acknowledged that the security camera surveillance of the immense building’s exterior walls was “highly insufficient,” which accounted for how the burglars were able to execute the sophisticated external entry and exit without being caught off guard. The investigation continues with the aim of recovering the jewels and bringing the perpetrators to justice.