Louvre director questioned by lawmakers as museum reopens after $102M jewel heist
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on October 22, 2025
(PARIS) — The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers amid mounting criticism over apparent security lapses that enabled thieves to pull off Sunday’s brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum’s ornate Apollo Gallery.
Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, testified in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee, saying, “We have been defeated.”
“This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” said des Cars, reading an opening statement. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”
Des Cars added, “This theft hurts our institution.”
Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Tuesday that those gems are estimated to be worth $102 million.
A large crowd of visitors was lined up when most of the Louvre reopened at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The Apollo Galley, still considered a crime scene, remained temporarily closed, according to the Louvre’s website.
In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Beccuau called the figure “spectacular,” but said it was nothing compared to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”
“We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won’t destroy these jewels for no reason,” Beccuau said.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist. There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
A nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been in high gear since the theft on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that authorities would catch those responsible for the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.”
The thieves went directly to two displays, breaking them and taking a “significant amount of loot,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
“They knew exactly where they were going,” Dati said. “It looks like something very organized and very professional.”
Dati said the evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
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