Overview
- The museum reopened three days after the theft, though the Apollo Gallery remains closed and director Laurence des Cars is due to appear before a Senate cultural committee.
- Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed an estimated material value of about €88 million and cautioned that dismantling or melting the pieces would destroy far greater historical value.
- Police say the thieves used a hired lift to reach a first‑floor window, cut open vitrines within minutes, and fled on scooters; tools were recovered and the crown of Empress Eugénie was found damaged.
- Authorities have identified four people and are reviewing whether all alarm systems were fully functional, as the Louvre and the culture minister reject claims of security failures and disputed reports about 2019 display cases.
- With France self‑insuring national collections, the state is expected to absorb any financial loss, while museums in Europe are reassessing protections and boosting security spending.