Louvre Enhances Security Measures Following $102M Jewel Heist, Adds Bars to Notorious Window
A freight lift rose up on its crane Tuesday toward the Louvre Museum — but this time it wasn’t jewel thieves. It was workers installing security bars on the window used to break into the Paris landmark’s Apollo Gallery during October’s stunning heist.
The world’s most-visited museum is slowly coming to terms with the security failings exposed by the theft, while investigators continue their search for the missing crown jewels valued at an astonishing $102 million.
With the Louvre closed on Tuesday, maintenance workers donned security helmets and high-visibility vests as they mounted a freight lift to a second-floor balcony. Their task was to secure new metal bars outside a now-infamous window that had previously been breached.
The scene echoed the events of October 19, when a team of thieves, posing as workers, utilized a similar lift to access the gallery. They sliced through the window, swiftly grabbing tiaras, emerald earrings, a sapphire necklace, and other treasures. In just eight minutes, they vanished without a trace.
All four suspected thieves have since been arrested and charged, yet the jewels remain elusive.
Samuel Lasnel, from the maintenance lift company Grima-Nacelles, shared that he and his crew arrived before dawn on Tuesday to execute the high-profile window-securing operation. “We have already worked at the Louvre — on the interior, on the exterior, inside and outside the pyramid — we’ve been here several times,” he told The Associated Press. “The Louvre knows us well.”
The Louvre has not publicly commented on Tuesday’s security operation, but the installation of these bars signifies a crucial step in enhancing the museum’s security measures.
Photograph: Workers install metal security bars at the Louvre in Paris on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025; (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Related:
A freight lift rose up on its crane Tuesday toward the Louvre Museum — but this time it wasn’t jewel thieves. It was workers installing security bars on the window used to break into the Paris landmark’s Apollo Gallery during October’s stunning heist.
The world’s most-visited museum is slowly coming to terms with the security failings exposed by the theft, while investigators continue their search for the missing crown jewels valued at an astonishing $102 million.
With the Louvre closed on Tuesday, maintenance workers donned security helmets and high-visibility vests as they mounted a freight lift to a second-floor balcony. Their task was to secure new metal bars outside a now-infamous window that had previously been breached.
The scene echoed the events of October 19, when a team of thieves, posing as workers, utilized a similar lift to access the gallery. They sliced through the window, swiftly grabbing tiaras, emerald earrings, a sapphire necklace, and other treasures. In just eight minutes, they vanished without a trace.
All four suspected thieves have since been arrested and charged, yet the jewels remain elusive.
Samuel Lasnel, from the maintenance lift company Grima-Nacelles, shared that he and his crew arrived before dawn on Tuesday to execute the high-profile window-securing operation. “We have already worked at the Louvre — on the interior, on the exterior, inside and outside the pyramid — we’ve been here several times,” he told The Associated Press. “The Louvre knows us well.”
The Louvre has not publicly commented on Tuesday’s security operation, but the installation of these bars signifies a crucial step in enhancing the museum’s security measures.
Photograph: Workers install metal security bars at the Louvre in Paris on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025; (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Related:
