Two arrested for Louvre stunt ‘for enjoyable’ in Mona Lisa corridor

The two males used sticky tape to stay the 2 work — measuring 30 by 40 cm — within the corridor the place guests flock to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece.

One confirmed one of many two males sporting armour, whereas the opposite was a portrait of the 2 males accompanied by a girl.

Security officers on the museum detained the 2 males and referred to as the police, who arrested them for minor harm to the wall. Interviewed by police, they mentioned that they had achieved it for enjoyable.

The two males will likely be summoned to look in courtroom as soon as the museum recordsdata a proper criticism for the harm, mentioned the police sources.

The Mona Lisa itself, now behind a thick layer of protecting glass, suffered no harm within the incident.

Museum officers are greater than normally alert today after a spate of heists at French museums and galleries, which have highlighted insufficient safety in some instances and led to questions on whether or not felony gangs see them as comfortable targets.

The Louvre itself was focused final October when eight objects of jewelry value tens of millions of {dollars} have been stolen throughout a daylight heist.

Even although 4 suspects have been arrested, the stolen objects have nonetheless not been discovered regardless of intensive searches by French investigators.

The housebreaking shocked the world, embarrassed France and revealed a sequence of safety lapses, together with the museum’s old school CCTV system.

Many of the museum’s safety flaws had already been highlighted in a 2019 audit ordered by the museum, the findings of which have been by no means acted on.

The Louvre welcomed round 9 million guests final 12 months, far above its meant capability, which has led to overcrowding issues.

In May, French President Emmanuel Macron introduced a serious overhaul of the museum, which is able to embrace a brand new house for the Mona Lisa and a brand new museum entrance.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)