Paris — French authorities might effectively handle to trace down and arrest the thieves who pulled off an audacious theft of royal crown jewels from Paris’ iconic Louvre museum, however they’re unlikely to get better the nationwide treasures, a criminologist instructed CBS Information on Tuesday. The heist passed off on Sunday, in broad daylight with vacationers within the museum, however no person was harm.
“We’ll catch them,” Alain Bauer, a professor of criminology at France’s Nationwide Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, instructed CBS Information.
However he added: “I do not assume we are going to seize the jewels.”
Bauer mentioned quite a lot of DNA was left on the scene by the robbers, together with on the crown of the empress Eugénie, which was left behind by the thieves as they made their getaway on bikes.
French police additionally recovered a big crane elevate utilized by the thieves to entry an higher flooring window of the 230-year-old museum, together with an influence noticed, gloves, a walkie-talkie and a can of gasoline. Authorities have mentioned the criminals might have meant to make use of the gasoline to burn their instruments, however they ran out of time.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty
The criminals entered from the again aspect of the Louvre’s essential constructing on Sunday — away from the principle entrance with its well-known glass pyramid — earlier than chopping their approach by way of a window utilizing the ability elevate and noticed. They then made their approach straight for the Galerie d’Apollon, the big corridor that housed the crown jewels.
If the thieves have been skilled criminals, they could be recognized to the police, with data out there on French legislation enforcement databases, Bauer instructed CBS Information.
However “in the event that they’re novice, or within the center, below management or subcontracted by any individual else, it might be a bit extra sophisticated,” he mentioned.
What are the jewels stolen from the Louvre price?
The stolen French crown jewels are priceless in historic phrases, however specialists have instructed CBS Information they might nonetheless be price thousands and thousands of {dollars} if damaged up and bought on the black market.
One of many stolen objects is a tiara that includes 212 pearls and practically 2,000 diamonds, commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III to rejoice his marriage to Eugénie de Montijo in 1853. Additionally swiped: a sapphire-and-diamond tiara and necklace set, a big diamond brooch, and an emerald necklace and earrings that have been initially a marriage present from Napoleon to his second spouse, Empress Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810.
The Louvre 
The beautiful theft was essentially the most spectacular theft on the Louvre museum for the reason that Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911. The enduring portray by Leonardo da Vinci was positioned in Italy and returned to the Louvre a number of years later.
Sunday’s heist has been described as each a tragedy and a nationwide embarrassment for France.
“You recognize, you assume, within the Louvre, of all locations, do not they’ve one of the best safety on the planet?” one surprised American vacationer instructed the French information company AFP quickly after the theft, calling it “loopy.”
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty 
However safety specialists say the Louvre’s safety vulnerabilities have been intensive. A current safety audit famous that 35% of the rooms within the Denon Wing, the place the jewels have been stored, don’t have any safety cameras, based on a Radio France report.
France’s Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin instructed reporters on Monday that the nation had essentially didn’t safe its nationwide treasures.
“I do know that we can not safe completely all of the websites. However what was certain was that we failed, as a result of somebody was able to placing in a crane truck, within the open, within the streets of Paris, to have folks stroll up for a few minutes and take priceless jewels and provides France a deplorable picture,” Darmanin lamented.
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