Patricia Tourancheau Interview | Alexandre Gilbert #333
Crime reporter and cold case specialist, twenty-nine years, police and crime correspondent at Libération, covering organized crime, terrorism, and major criminal cases, like real-life noir thrillers, Patricia Tourancheau, published On the Louvre Heist, in 2026.
PT: Very little is known about the alleged “Slavs” who are said to have approached the group of so-called treasure thieves. In any case, the suspects reportedly claimed that these individuals met them in a park two days before the burglary and proposed a job—without explicitly saying it involved the Louvre—in exchange for €15,000 for Abdoulaye. Abdoulaye states that these men, described as Eastern European individuals he did not know, provided him with a fluorescent vest and assigned him the task of driving a truck-mounted lift to reach the site. However, investigators and examining magistrates do not place much belief in this account. There are contradictions between the second suspect from the Apollo Gallery case and Abdoulaye, also known as Doudou Crosse-bitume. One version refers to a Moroccan man named Laser, before later shifting again to the “Slavs” narrative. Investigators tend to believe that these suspects are, in a way, inventing supposed “organizers” in order to downplay their own roles and present themselves as mere underlings—simple executors.
At the time of the events, Abdoulaye N. was 39 years old. He comes from a Malian family background, with a father who was polygamous, which meant he had 22 half-brothers and half-sisters. He grew up in the Landy district of Aubervilliers, one of the poorest areas in an already deprived municipality, in one of the most disadvantaged departments in France.
He left school at around 14 years old. At 16, he was arrested for a minor drug-dealing incident. At 18, he completed a short placement linked to a temporary exhibition in Aubervilliers.
(Editor’s note: Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, a major figure in international contemporary art, set up his “Precarious Museum” — built from cardboard and pallets — at the foot of a public housing block in Le Landy. He achieved the feat of bringing masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, from Marcel Duchamp to Fernand Léger, into this makeshift structure, entrusting its management to local residents, including Doudou Cross Bitume, who became the temporary guardian of the temporary museum and even learned how to handle and package artworks.)
By 2014, two more notable events marked his criminal record. In May, Abdoulaye and accomplices robbed a jewelry store in Barbès, in Paris’s 18th arrondissement, escaping on two powerful scooters.
When arrested, he later claimed the weapons were replicas. As a result, he was not tried for armed robbery before a criminal court but for aggravated theft involving fake weapons, and sentenced to three years in prison.
Earlier, in September 2014, he and Slimane K. attempted a robbery of an ATM using a very powerful vehicle. Abdoulaye was allegedly driving while Slimane was on a scooter nearby. Abdoulaye rammed the car when the cash-in-transit worker was servicing the machine, but the man panicked and no money was taken.
Slimane K. then set fire to the vehicle and drove off on a scooter, taking Abdoulaye with him.
In total, Slimane K. received a heavier sentence for this case. Abdoulaye, for this ATM-related attack, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. This sentence was separate from the three-year sentence linked to the jewelry store case.
Slimane K. began offending at a very young age. His first conviction dates back to age 15 before the juvenile court, involving a series of handbag thefts targeting wealthy tourists or well-dressed customers leaving major department stores on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris.
According to the prosecutor, he has around ten significant theft convictions on his record.
In the Louvre case, Slimane K. is suspected of acting as a lookout and scooter driver on a T-Max-type powerful scooter, but he strongly denies any involvement.
Unlike the two main suspects from the Apollo Gallery case, there is no DNA linking him directly. There is only mixed DNA found on a peripheral object connected to the truck-mounted lift—a remote control that was not even used, because it was not connected by cable to the machine.
This evidence is therefore very indirect. Slimane K. argues that it could be contact DNA, since he knows Abdoulaye and has been in contact with the others, meaning his DNA could have been transferred unintentionally.
A parliamentary commission report targets the hyper-presidential management of the Louvre.
PT: Yes, but not only that. Among its roughly 40 recommendations, the report mainly calls for stronger controls, increased funding, expanded responsibilities, and a clear prioritization of security and safety. There is also a push for more transparency and less hierarchical governance, and a reduction of hyper-centralized leadership. But this is not the core of the report. When I was writing my book, we were not yet at that stage.
Is the theft of the sword of Charles X in 1976 comparable?
PT: Well, they do have similarities. Of course they do. There is a 40-year gap—actually 39 years. The thieves in December 1976 entered through exactly the same door-window and the same first-floor balcony leading to the Apollo Gallery. At the time, they were more violent than in the recent case—there were more of them, and they assaulted the guards, tied them up, and neutralized them in a corner. They stole the famous sword of Charles X, made of gold and silver and set with diamonds. What is striking—and what I write in my book—is that for a place dedicated to heritage and the transmission of French history, the Louvre has a surprisingly short memory. It is quite extraordinary that security was not significantly strengthened afterwards, especially since the sword has never been recovered.
I listed four conspiracy theories: legitimists against the usurper; Netflix preparing Lupin next season; Dan Brown releasing a book; and urban rodeo enthousiasts.
PT: What struck me was precisely the global wave of speculation around the Louvre case. I was stunned. I tend to be very grounded. And having some familiarity with the criminal world, from the start, all these fanciful theories were circulating—even involving foreign intelligence services, political retaliation against France by stealing its crown jewels, which were discussed endlessly on TV shows, by experts and commentators. Then came theories about drug traffickers laundering money through the jewels. Then ultra-rich collectors orchestrating the theft. Then alleged masterminds based in Israel or elsewhere ordering jewels from criminals in Aubervilliers. Everything was suggested. But in my view, the truth is always much simpler in theft cases. We are not in a Netflix series like Lupin. Reality is simpler, and at the same time more powerful. For me, reality is even stronger than fiction. The chapter on “where the stolen jewels went.” concerns an Israeli company, CGI Group, which is fairly well known in Israel. They claim that they were contacted on the dark web and that someone had the Empress Eugénie’s diadem. But that is completely false. They also claim involvement in the Dresden museum theft, which the Dresden museum denies entirely. I recently saw a Kindle publication titled “Braquage du Louvre 2025” by an Oliver Withmore, apparently linked to CGI Group, presenting itself as an “exclusive investigation” into Israel’s role in recovering the Louvre treasures. French investigators do not take these claims seriously at all. They consider it self-promotion. CGI Group includes former intelligence and security professionals. It operates at the intersection of state intelligence and the private sector. It was founded by people including former intelligence officials. Some people I know in Israel say they are credible in their field. But the claims they make about the Louvre jewels and Dresden are considered false by French investigators.
Where are the jewels ?
PT: The hypothesis of a higher-level mastermind is largely ruled out. There is no evidence in the investigation suggesting such a figure. Another hypothesis is that they had a fence or intermediary ready to resell the diamonds and gold, but again, none has been identified. A third hypothesis, which I personally find more plausible, is that the group hid the jewels and simply made them disappear for a few years, possibly until after prison terms. In many art theft cases, there is a long “period of silence.” Objects disappear for years before resurfacing, sometimes altered or recut. For example, a famous diamond from the Louvre reappeared under a new name—Hope—after being completely recut. So yes, objects can disappear for a long time before re-emerging. Meanwhile, the eight stolen crown jewels are still listed in official databases, including Interpol, just like the sword of Charles X, which is still registered with full documentation.
A historian tiktoker,Yann Toucourt said the crown associated with Eugénie de Montijo, was created by jeweler Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier for the 1855 Exposition Universelle. (1).
PT: Honestly, I have not heard of that gemologist. What I am told by gemological experts is that the stones themselves are not particularly rare or exceptional. They are not the purest or most valuable stones. They are among the more “bling” pieces in the Apollo Gallery—while much better pieces exist. Personally, if I were a thief, I would not have taken these. I would have gone for something like the Régent diamond, which is far more remarkable, smaller, easier to extract, and far more valuable. I don’t know whether these are reproductions or originals. I believed they were originals—but not necessarily jewels that belonged to princesses themselves. It is the first time I hear this claim. But in art, we are used to restoration and reproduction. The Mona Lisa has been retouched many times. Rodin’s sculptures can be reproduced indefinitely. In art history, identity persists through reproduction rights and continuity of form.
What is striking about the investigative documentary is that I thought I was the only one covering certain angles—like TikTokers using the Apollo Gallery as a backdrop for social media videos. But it turns out there is overlap with what others have uncovered. It is fascinating.
One of the suspects, Abdoulaye, has been active on social media for years, including early urban stunt videos and later TikTok content. Shortly before the robbery, he was still posting videos of himself training and lifting weights in Paris. So the “pipeline of ideas” may partly come from there. But that does not mean the operation itself was organized online.