New surveillance video shows Louvre jewel heist in action

Footage of the spectacular robbery at the Louvre Museum has been broadcast for the first time on French television, showing the brazen jewel thieves breaking into display cases.

The images, filmed by surveillance cameras, were shown by the TF1 and public France Televisions channels on Sunday evening, three months after the hugely embarrassing break-in in October.

They show the two burglars, one wearing a black balaclava and a yellow high-visibility jacket, the other dressed in black with a motorcycle helmet, as they force their way into the Apollo Gallery.

After breaking in through a reinforced window with high-powered disk cutters, they begin slicing into display cases under the eyes of several staff members who do not intervene.

Managers at the Louvre have stressed that staff are not trained to confront thieves and are asked to prioritize the evacuation of visitors.

The team of thieves used a basket lift to break in through that window on Oct. 19. The robbers smashed open display cases to steal nine pieces of jewelry. None of the jewels have been recovered except for a crown that was dropped as the group escaped.

The security failures highlighted by the break-in on a Sunday morning in broad daylight have cast a harsh spotlight on management of the institution and director Laurence des Cars.

A recent security audit found that 35% of the rooms in the Denon Wing, where the stolen jewels were displayed, are not monitored by security cameras, according to Radio France. The gems were also not privately insured, in accordance with French law.

Trade unions are pressing for more recruitment and better maintenance of the vast former royal palace, launching several days of strikes in recent months.

Another stoppage on Monday forced a full closure for the third time since December, leaving thousands of tourists disappointed outside again.

Four suspects are in police custody over the heist, including the two suspected thieves, but the eight stolen items of French crown jewels worth an estimated $102 million have not been found.

During the roughly four minutes that the two men were inside the gallery, one staff member can be seen holding a bollard used to orient visitors through the gallery, according to France Televisions.

The images, as well as multiple DNA samples found at the scene, form a key part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the robbery.

Details of the footage have been reported in French newspapers, including Le Parisien.

Last month, metal bars were installed over the windows of the Apollo Gallery since the break-in.

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