A reformed French bank robber says he warned a Louvre official years before thieves smashed into the museum’s Apollo Gallery on Sunday and stole eight pieces of crown jewels in a fast and highly coordinated daylight theft.
Authorities say the burglars broke a window, cut open display cases with power tools, and escaped within just a few minutes. Two suspects are in custody and investigations continue into the missing items, which reports have valued at more than 100 million dollars.
The heist has intensified questions about security at one of the most visited museums in the world.
David Desclos, once known for neutralizing alarm systems and planning elaborate robberies, told The Associated Press that he raised concerns during a 2020 visit to the Apollo Gallery. He had been invited to participate in a museum podcast about a historic jewel theft in 1792.
According to Desclos, he warned a senior official that jewel cases placed near street facing windows and rooftops created easy targets for thieves.
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“Have you seen those windows? They are a piece of cake,” Desclos said. He added that burglars could slip in from the street or the roof. “They came by the windows. They came, they took, and they left,” he said about Sunday’s crime.
Desclos said timing was a crucial factor. In his experience, a daytime break in could delay an immediate alarm response. “You know you have five to seven minutes before police arrive,” he said.
One security concern he singled out involved display cases installed in 2019. Desclos said older designs allowed valuable objects to drop out of reach during an attack. Newer cases kept jewels at eye level and exposed, which he believed made theft easier. “It is incomprehensible they changed the cases to leave jewels within arm’s reach,” he said. The Louvre responded by saying the current vitrines meet modern standards and are designed with security in mind. The Louvre did not immediately comment on Desclos’s claim that he tried to alert staff.
His view on protecting cultural treasure is straightforward. “The real ones should be at the Banque de France,” he said. French media have reported that remaining crown jewels were moved to the central bank’s vault after the theft.
The Louvre has faced strain in recent months. A spontaneous staff strike in June closed the museum for a day when employees protested crowding, limited staff levels, and what union representatives described as unsafe working conditions.
Meanwhile, police and government officials in Paris are taking a closer look at security in major museums. Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure will address lawmakers in the French Senate about risks highlighted by the break in.