DNA Found in Clues From $102M Louvre Heist

In what could prove to be a major turning point in the investigation, French authorities have detected traces of DNA on a helmet and glove left behind by the thieves who executed the $102 million jewelry robbery at the Louvre. Police say the evidence is now being examined in hopes that it will reveal the identities of the culprits behind Sunday’s audacious daylight theft from the museum’s renowned Apollo Gallery, according to ABC News.

Officials suspect that the heist bears the hallmarks of organized crime but have stopped short of dismissing the theory that someone inside the museum may have played a role.

The discovery of genetic material comes as Louvre President Laurence des Cars appeared before France’s Senate Culture Committee on Wednesday to address the shocking breach. She disclosed that she had offered to resign after the theft but that her resignation had been turned down. “This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” des Cars told the committee. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”

Des Cars insisted that the museum’s alarm systems and internal surveillance were all in proper working order at the time of the break-in. However, she admitted that the Louvre has long struggled with a vulnerability along its outer perimeter. “The weakness of the Louvre is its perimeter security, which has been a problem for a long time … certainly due to underinvestment,” she said.

The museum’s president went on to explain that the ongoing “Grand Louvre renovation project,” initiated four decades ago, has so far modernized only about half of the museum’s facilities. She revealed that the only outdoor camera near the Apollo Gallery was pointed west, leaving the window through which the robbers entered completely out of view.

“The security system, as installed in the Apollo Gallery, worked perfectly,” she said. “The question that arises is how to adapt this system to a new type of attack and modus operandi that we could not have foreseen.”

While defending the integrity of the museum’s internal systems, des Cars nonetheless admitted the magnitude of the lapse. “Today we are witnessing a terrible failure at the Louvre,” she acknowledged. She noted that when she first assumed her role in 2021, she was alarmed by the state of the museum’s protective measures. “The security of the Louvre is one of my top priorities during my term of office, and I repeat that I was appalled by the museum’s security situation when I arrived in 2021,” she said.

Des Cars explained that the Louvre’s “aging infrastructure,” dating back over two centuries, has made it difficult to install advanced surveillance systems and other modern security technologies.

After remaining closed for several days amid the investigation, the Louvre reopened its doors to visitors on Wednesday morning, as law enforcement continues to pursue the high-profile thieves who stunned the art world.

{Matzav.com}