Louvre thieves escaped with just 30 seconds to spare, Senate inquiry finds

PARIS AP Thieves who stole more than million in crown jewels from the Louvre in October escaped with barely seconds to spare a French Senate inquiry mentioned Wednesday as lawmakers detailed a cascade of safeguard failures that allowed the gang to slip away in broad daylight The parliamentary probe ordered after the embarrassing Oct heist unveiled that only one of two cameras covering the break-in point was functioning and that safeguard staff lacked enough screens to monitor footage in real time When the alarm absolutely sounded police were initially dispatched to the wrong location investigators described senators Give or take seconds guards or police could have intercepted them No l Corbin head of the inquiry advised the Senate s practices committee The review also cited outdated equipment unaddressed vulnerabilities flagged in earlier audits and poor coordination between the Louvre and its supervisory government It declared the balcony used by the thieves had been identified years earlier as a weak point but never reinforced The findings increase pressure on Louvre director Laurence des Cars who is due to be questioned by lawmakers next week All four suspected members of the motorbike-mounted crew have been arrested but the missing jewels valued at about million have not been recovered