Oct 9, 2026 · 39 min · 19 segments
In episode two of Heist at the Louvre, the investigation begins. Police find crucial evidence — and the Louvre finds itself under scrutiny. Heist at the Louvre will be published right here in the…
James LongmanHostElaine SciolinoGuestTim CarpenterGuest
Alain BauerGuest
And months later, after a string of additional controversies, the Louvre director, Laurence des Cars, resigned.
[pensive music] So I guess what I've come to understand is that in some ways this was just a smash-and-grab, but it did require a specific set of circumstances to all come together in one moment.
There was a museum overflowing with visitors in desperate need of an upgrade, a gallery with security blind spots that had been ignored or were unknown by management, and the jewels, known for their incredible beauty, dripping with diamonds, but all stored in a room without bars on the windows.
And of course, on top of all that, Alain Bauer says there was an extra special ingredient.
What happens next? Because a thief who got lucky now has $100 million worth of jewelry to get rid of.
This last one helps to explain the situation our thieves might have found themselves in as they sped away on those motorbikes.
I have brought with me an article that I wrote about what happened in December 1976.
They climb up a cleaning crew scaffolding, so it's kinda similar to what happened with the theft last October.
They break a glass d- showcase, and they grab a diamond-studded sword that had belonged to Charles X.
The sword was taken from the same room as our 2025 heist, the Apollo Gallery, and just like our jewels, after it left the building, it disappeared.
Somebody maybe one day will be nice enough to give it back, or something will happen, and police or firemen discover a fake wall, and we'll find it back.
The sword was three feet long and covered with diamonds, not exactly something you could take to your local pawn shop.
And months later, after a string of additional controversies, the Louvre director, Laurence des Cars, resigned.
[pensive music] So I guess what I've come to understand is that in some ways this was just a smash-and-grab, but it did require a specific set of circumstances to all come together in one moment.
There was a museum overflowing with visitors in desperate need of an upgrade, a gallery with security blind spots that had been ignored or were unknown by management, and the jewels, known for their incredible beauty, dripping with diamonds, but all stored in a room without bars on the windows.
And of course, on top of all that, Alain Bauer says there was an extra special ingredient.
What happens next? Because a thief who got lucky now has $100 million worth of jewelry to get rid of.
This last one helps to explain the situation our thieves might have found themselves in as they sped away on those motorbikes.
I have brought with me an article that I wrote about what happened in December 1976.
They climb up a cleaning crew scaffolding, so it's kinda similar to what happened with the theft last October.
They break a glass d- showcase, and they grab a diamond-studded sword that had belonged to Charles X.
The sword was taken from the same room as our 2025 heist, the Apollo Gallery, and just like our jewels, after it left the building, it disappeared.
Somebody maybe one day will be nice enough to give it back, or something will happen, and police or firemen discover a fake wall, and we'll find it back.
The sword was three feet long and covered with diamonds, not exactly something you could take to your local pawn shop.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.