The Louvre’s Surveillance System Password Was Reportedly ‘Louvre,’ Reveals Museum Employee By Charna Flam

A Louvre employee is revealing one important security detail.

On Oct. 18, thieves broke into the famous Paris museum and, in seven minutes, stole more than $100 million in jewels. Since the investigation began, it has been uncovered that the suspects forced entry using power tools to break through the second-floor window at the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery), which had opened its doors to the public.

President and director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, told the French Senate that the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery did not capture footage of the window where the thieves broke in and exited.

At the time of the heist, the password for the museum’s security system was “Louvre,” a museum employee with knowledge of the system told ABC News on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The French outlet Libération first reported on the password, citing confidential documents. According to the outlet, France’s National Cybersecurity Agency revealed the password in a 2014 audit.

Des Cars also told the French Senate last month that the museum’s perimeter security was weak “due to underinvestment.”

He said that he was “appalled” by the museum’s security when he took the role in 2021, and that it has been one of his top priorities, according to ABC News.

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Additionally, Gérald Darmanin, a French politician serving as Minister of Justice, told France Inter radio that security protocols “failed” to prevent the four-person heist.

“[It’s] giving a deplorable image of France,” Darmanin added, “The French feel like they have been robbed.”

On Oct. 25, two men were arrested in connection with the robbery and “partially admitted their involvement in the events to investigators,” Laure Beccuau, the Paris Public Prosecutor, said during a press conference, according to ABC News. 

The two men had been charged with organized robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime in connection with the heist, ABC News reported, citing the prosecutor. Both suspects have been remanded in custody and will remain in jail until their trial.

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Over a week after the robbery, on Oct. 29, five new suspects were arrested, a Paris Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson said in an email to PEOPLE on Oct. 30. At the time of the arrest, the missing jewels had not yet been recovered.

If convicted, the suspects could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years and heavy fines, according to ABC News.

The jewels stolen in the heist included a sapphire tiara, a sapphire necklace and a single sapphire earring, a matching emerald necklace and emerald earrings, a tiara, a large brooch and a second brooch known as the “reliquary brooch,” Reuters reported.

The tiara was reportedly later found damaged outside the museum, according to Reuters.