Mastermind of €88m Louvre heist thought they ‘could have taken more’

The leader of the October 2025 heist ‘wasn’t happy’ about size of their haul, claimed the alleged thieves in detailed account of burglary given to investigative judges. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The leader of the October 2025 heist ‘wasn’t happy’ about size of their haul, claimed the alleged thieves in detailed account of burglary given to investigative judges. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images Mastermind of €88m Louvre heist thought they ‘could have taken more’ Alleged thieves in October 2025 robbery damaged a gem-encrusted crown worn in the 19th century by Empress Eugénie Two men suspected of making off with €88m (£75m) worth of crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last October have reportedly told investigators that the alleged mastermind behind the heist was disappointed by the haul and thought “they could have taken more”. The French newspaper Le Monde cited transcripts of the alleged thieves’ questioning last month by two investigating judges in charge of the inquiry, offering detailed insights into the burglary that made global headlines and led the museum’s director to resign . According to the account seen by the newspaper, the suspects, named locally as Abdoulaye N and Ghelamallah A, claimed they had broken into the Louvre’s Apollo gallery on the orders of a client they refused to name out of fear for their families. The duo seized eight pieces of jewellery including tiaras, a brooch, necklaces and earrings. But during their escape, the suspects dropped a gem-encrusted crown worn in the 19th century by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. Louvre president resigns as jewellery heist inquiry reveals ‘systemic failures’ Read more “Yes, it was me, it fell out of my bag,” Abdoulaye N is said to have admitted, adding, as the judges showed him a photograph of the badly damaged crown: “What we did wasn’t right, it’s very serious.” He said the pair had handed over the remaining loot to the alleged mastermind, who “wasn’t happy” with the outcome. “He thought we could have taken more,” he told investigators. Both men said they had been hired only two or three days before the break-in and had been presented with a video filmed inside the gallery that showed the cases with the Napoleonic jewellery, to prepare them for the heist. Abdoulaye N was quoted as saying that they were given a clear mission: “Break windows and retrieve jewellery from inside the display cases.” A former minor social media star with a passion for motorbikes, Abdoulaye N said he had been “in dire straits” financially, and was promised €15,000-€20,000 for his role in the burglary. “Maybe more, depending on how much money it would bring in.” He said the alleged client’s motivation had been financial and that he had planned to resell the stolen jewels. “I knew I was going to rob the Louvre,” Abdoulaye N is quoted as telling investigators, while Ghelamallah A said he had not known about the target, which he said wa