Frence admits security failures after Louvre heist

France's Louvre museum remained closed on Monday as Paris police continued its manhunt for the team of robbers who stole eight “priceless” pieces of royal jewellery from the museum on Sunday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who acknowledged Sunday that securing the jewels was a "major weak spot," said the raid lasted just seven minutes and was likely carried out by an experienced team, possibly "foreigners." France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has admitted to security flaws in protecting the Louvre that had led to robbers stealing imperial jewels in broad daylight from the Paris museum. "What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels and give France a terrible image," Gerald Darmanin told France Inter radio.
Meanwhile, the intervention of museum staff forced the thieves to abandon some of their equipment, the culture ministry added. Some 60 investigators are currently investigating the crime. The thieves arrived between 9:30 and 9:40am (07:30 and 07:40 GMT) Sunday, shortly after the museum opened to the public at 9:00am, a source close to the investigation said. They used an extendable ladder to access the Apollo Gallery, home to the royal collection, and cutting equipment to get in through a window and open the display cases. As per report, the masked thieves stole nine 19th-century items of jewellery, one of which — the crown of the Empress Eugénie — was dropped and damaged as they made their escape.
The list of stolen items included an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave his wife Empress Marie Louise. Also stolen was a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugénie, which has nearly 2,000 diamonds; and a necklace that once belonged to Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France. It has eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, according to the Louvre's website. 
Sunday’s raid has reignited concerns over museum security, which critics say is far weaker than that of banks and increasingly targeted by criminals.Last month, thieves stole gold samples worth $700,000 from Paris's Natural History Museum.The same month, two dishes and a vase were taken from a museum in Limoges, with losses estimated at $7.6 million.