Gone in 240 seconds: France's race against time to recover stolen crown jewels
Dominique Buffin, the head of security at the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, is facing calls to resign as the hunt continues for the gang of four thieves who carried out what's been dubbed the 'heist of the decade'.
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00:00Over 48 hours have passed since historic jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre, the world's most visited museum.
00:10According to art experts, it's a race against time as the first 48 hours are crucial for the recovery of the jewels.
00:18Several speculate the criminals may get caught, but the jewelry itself may never be recovered.
00:24The stolen jewels are nearly impossible to sell on the open market. Instead, the gemstones may be cut and the gold melted down.
00:31They chose this room because it was close to a window. They chose these jewels because they figured that they could break them apart, take out the settings, take out the diamonds and the sapphires and the emeralds,
00:46and take them to Israel, take them to Antwerp, India, find a dodgy dealer that's willing to re-cut them, and no one would ever know what they did.
00:58The heist sparked public outrage and has been criticized as a, quote, national humiliation by several French lawmakers.
01:06It also raised questions over museum security, for which officials at the Louvre had previously warned there was a lack of investment.
01:15The criticism resulted in blame games, with accusations going as far as pointing the finger at the museum's head of security, Dominique Buffin, calling her a diversity hire.
01:25But art expert Christopher Marinello says museum heists are on the rise in Europe.
01:30In France itself, at least four museums have been robbed in recent months.
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