Louvre Director Offered Resignation After €88M Heist

Laurence des Cars said she offered to resign after Sunday's audacious daylight heist at the Louvre, but the culture minister refused her resignation. Masked thieves impersonating construction workers used a basket lift/crane to reach an upper window near the Mona Lisa, escaped on motorbikes, and stole eight pieces of France’s crown jewels worth roughly €88 million (about $102 million) in about four to seven minutes. Des Cars said the raid exposed security weaknesses, notably inadequate CCTV coverage of the façade, and followed staff warnings and strikes over chronic understaffing. The museum has reopened to visitors while the Galerie d'Apollon — the scene of the theft — remains closed for forensic work. The jewels are still missing and the thieves remain at large. Authorities, including President Macron, face intense scrutiny amid fears the pieces could be altered or destroyed and broader questions about protections for cultural heritage.