• Thieves escaped with just 30 seconds to spare due to serious security lapses.
• Only one of two cameras was functioning at the break-in site.
• Previous warnings about vulnerabilities were ignored, increasing pressure on museum management.
• All four suspects have been arrested, but the stolen crown jewels, valued at $102 million, remain missing.
• Calls for accountability have intensified, impacting museum leadership amid ongoing inquiries.

The investigation into the October robbery of crown jewels from the Louvre revealed that the thieves managed to escape with only 30 seconds to spare, primarily due to significant security failures at the museum. According to the probe ordered by the culture ministry, only one of the two security cameras was operational at the time of the heist, and security staff lacked adequate screens to monitor real-time footage. Additionally, police were sent to the wrong location initially when the alarm was triggered, which severely delayed their response, as detailed in reports from Le Monde, Los Angeles Times, and South China Morning Post.

In a startling revelation, Noël Corbin, head of the inquiry, noted that had police and security officers arrived just 30 seconds earlier, they could have intercepted the robbers. Security deficiencies included outdated equipment and poorly addressed vulnerabilities identified in earlier audits. “The balcony used by the thieves had been identified for years as a weak point but was never fortified,” Corbin stated, indicating systemic challenges that had been ignored, according to Le Monde and Los Angeles Times.

With the jewel theft valued at an estimated $102 million, all four suspected thieves, who executed the heist in about ten minutes and fled on motorbikes, have been arrested, but the jewels remain missing. The incident has led to intense scrutiny of Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who faces increasing pressure to resign amid growing concerns over security measures at one of the world's most iconic museums. “The recommendations from previous audits were not acted on,” Corbin added, emphasizing the lack of proactive measures taken by museum management, as noted by South China Morning Post.

Questions about the museum's security oversights have prompted an ongoing inquiry by France’s lower house of parliament, with additional scrutiny directed at how museum leadership managed operational risks. Senior officials have described the findings as "stunning," revealing unexpected depths of negligence in protecting national treasures and contributing to increasing calls for administrative changes at the Louvre, highlighted by reports in all three articles.