Convicted jewel thief calls out 'amateur' mistake in Louvre heist as police 'race against time' to find priceless items

A former jewel thief has revealed the 'amateur' mistake that was reportedly made during the Louvre robbery.

On Sunday (October 19), a group of criminals broke into the Louvre in Paris, France, using a motorized ladder.

While no injuries have been reported at the scene, the BBC reports that the criminals had disc cutters and broke windows to gain entry, before vanishing on scooters.

The Louvre is the world's most visited museum and houses some of the planet's most treasured artwork, jewelry, and archaeological finds, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and the ‘Venus de Milo’ statue.

The criminals headed straight to the Apollo Gallery, where it is reported that they stole eight items of precious jewelry.

Police sources told Le Parisien: "After breaking windows, two men entered, stealing nine pieces from Napoleon and the Empress's jewelry collection – a necklace, a brooch, and more."

While an investigation is now under way to track down the criminals, and the missing items, one former jewel thief has spoken out about his take on the incident and why he thinks it could have been an amateur or 'inside job'.

Larry Lawton has spent 12 years in jail and is a convicted jewel thief.

"I'm known as the biggest jewel robber in the United States, I've robbed between $15-18 million and went away for over 12 years," Larry told CBS News.

"Now I help police agencies and I'm recognized on the floor of the United States Congress."

The robbery took place on Sunday (October 19) (Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)

Lawton continued: "I personally would take this jewelry, I'd give two pieces to each guy, I would say 'put one away, maybe break one up for money'.

"Then, I would have one piece for a bargaining chip in case they get caught. I think it's an amateur job or inside job and here's why.

"Here's my theory - someone knows someone in the Louvre. How did these robbers know there wasn't an electronic device that can stop or shock you when you pull the jewelry off a felt? Plus there were so many mistakes made.

"How did they know what window? How did they know it wasn't special glass you couldn't cut?

"They made all of these mistakes already, I don't think they had the robbery planned out like I would.

"You have to have the fence [a middle man who deals with stolen jewelry] set up before you even do the robbery, you have to know you can get rid of something.

"This is more amateur than it is professional for sure."

Eight items were reportedly taken (Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)

According to art detective Arthur Brand, the authorities only have seven days to track down the stolen items.

"These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them," Brand said, adding: "The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. That's the way they will probably disappear forever."

He went on to tell Sky News: "[The police] have a week. If they catch the thieves, the stuff might still be there. If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled. It's a race against time."

Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, has also weighed in on the matter and told ABC News that 'it's unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again'.

"Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognisable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance," Kormind added.

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