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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

Louvre director acknowledges ‘terrible failure’ after €88m jewel heist

Laurence des Cars at a desk with a microphone in front of her
Laurence des Cars at a hearing of the senate's culture committee on Wednesday. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

The director of the Louvre museum in Paris has acknowledged a “terrible failure” days after thieves took seven minutes to break in via a window and steal jewels worth €88m, admitting there was “highly insufficient” security camera coverage of the outside walls of the vast building.

Senators questioned Laurence des Cars about the spectacular heist in which four men used a truck with extendable ladder and furniture hoist to access a balcony, cut through a window and steal jewels from the ornate Apollo gallery during opening hours.

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