PARIS, FRANCE – The enigmatic figure in a fedora, captured in a viral photograph outside the Louvre Museum following a brazen daylight heist, has been identified as a 15-year-old French teenager. Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a resident of Rambouillet, inadvertently became a global internet sensation on Sunday, 19 October 2025, after he was photographed near the crime scene of one of France’s most significant art thefts in decades.

Delvaux told the Associated Press that he and his family had simply planned a visit to the museum, unaware that a major robbery had just occurred. Finding the Louvre closed, he approached police officers to inquire about the situation. An AP photographer, documenting the security cordon, captured the image that sparked widespread speculation, with theories ranging from his being an undercover detective to an AI-generated fake. The teenager, an admirer of fictional detectives Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, said his distinctive 1940s-style attire is his everyday look.

A Heist Exposing Glaring Security Flaws

The incident that propelled Delvaux to unexpected fame was a meticulously planned, yet crudely executed, robbery that has deeply embarrassed French authorities and exposed critical vulnerabilities at the world's most visited museum. At approximately 9:30 AM local time (11:30 AM EAT) on 19 October, a team of thieves used a truck-mounted lift to access a first-floor window of the Galerie d'Apollon. In under eight minutes, they smashed through the window and two display cases, stealing eight priceless pieces of the French Crown Jewels.

The stolen items have a raw value estimated at €88 million (approximately KSh 12.5 billion), according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, though their historical and cultural value is considered inestimable. The haul included jewels once belonging to 19th-century French royalty, such as Empress Marie-Louise, Queen Marie-Amélie, and Empress Eugénie. In their haste, the thieves dropped a ninth item, the Crown of Empress Eugénie, which was recovered damaged at the scene. Notably, they did not target several other high-value gems in the same gallery, including the 140-carat Regent Diamond, valued at over €50 million alone.

Arrests Made, But Jewels Remain Missing

French police have since arrested and filed charges against four individuals in connection with the heist. Investigators have described the suspects not as sophisticated masterminds but as petty criminals from Paris's suburbs. One of the men charged, identified as 39-year-old Abdoulaye N., is a minor social media personality known for motorbike stunts and has a prior conviction for robbery. Despite the arrests, none of the stolen jewels have been recovered.

The investigation has revealed shocking security lapses. Louvre Director Laurence des Cars admitted to the French Senate on 22 October that the museum's external CCTV coverage was “highly insufficient,” with no camera monitoring the window the thieves breached. She acknowledged the incident as a “terrible failure” and tendered her resignation, which was refused by the culture minister. Reports also emerged that the password for the video surveillance system was simply “Louvre.” In response to the public outcry, the museum has announced a new €80 million ($92 million) master plan to overhaul its security infrastructure, which will include creating a new Security Coordinator position and upgrading surveillance systems.

Global Context and Local Relevance

While this incident has no direct ties to Kenya, it serves as a critical case study in cultural heritage protection for institutions worldwide, including the National Museums of Kenya. The Louvre heist underscores the persistent threat of organised crime targeting cultural artifacts and the paramount importance of robust, modern security systems. The theft occurred just days after a major heist at the Oakland Museum of California, where over 1,000 artifacts were stolen from a storage facility, highlighting a worrying trend. For Kenya and the East Africa region, which are rich in historical and cultural treasures, the events in Paris are a stark reminder of the need for constant vigilance, investment in security technology, and international cooperation to safeguard irreplaceable heritage against such audacious attacks.