Name: Louvre heist: The balcony’s ‘vulnerability’ flagged in 2018 audit
Uploaded: 2025-11-26T18:05:00.704Z
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Description: An internal security audit had already identified the Louvre balcony—used by thieves in the October 19 heist—as a major vulnerability as far back as 2018, according to Le Monde. The revelation comes as several suspects were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the jewelry robbery.

An internal security audit had already identified the Louvre balcony—used by thieves in the October 19 heist—as a major vulnerability as far back as 2018, according to Le Monde. The revelation comes as several suspects were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the jewelry robbery.

Paris

A 2018 security audit commissioned by the Louvre's former director identified the balcony and window targeted in the October 19th heist as significant security vulnerabilities. The report, which also noted insufficient camera coverage and the potential use of a furniture lift, was not known to current museum management until after the theft occurred.

Following the robbery, which saw eight pieces of the French crown jewels valued at 88 million euros stolen, the Louvre director ordered a review of renovation documents, leading to the discovery of the 2018 audit. The jewels have not been recovered, and the revelation has prompted questions about the awareness and handling of security flaws at the museum.

Louvre heist: The balcony’s ‘vulnerability’ flagged in 2018 audit

In the latest twist in the saga of the stolen Louvre diamonds, an uncomfortable revelation for the museum. The French daily Le Monde revealed that a security audit commissioned by the Louvre's previous director Jean-Luc Martinez in 2018 had identified the very balcony and window targeted in the October 19th heist as one of the museum's chief security vulnerabilities. The report, allegedly by the jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, even mentioned a furniture lift such as the one used in the robbery. It also added that security camera coverage in the sector was insufficient to detect intruders. But what happened to the report after it was received by the museum remains a mystery. Responding to an inquiry from Le Monde, the Louvre management said that it had not been aware of the report until after the October robbery. The director of the Louvre requested all documents relating to renovations carried out in the Galerie d'Apollon over the past 25 years. It was only then that several documents, including an evaluation of risks by an outside expert from 2018, were identified. It's embarrassing news for embattled Louvre director Laurence Descartes, who had been heavily criticized since the robbery, during which eight pieces of the French crown jewels, valued at 88 million euros, were stolen. The jewels have yet to be recovered. The revelation also raises questions over how widely known the museum's security flaws were.

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