Two German visitors to the Louvre in Paris were arrested after they affixed two paintings to the walls of the Salle des États, home to the Mona Lisa. The incident highlights the museum's ongoing security challenges, following a major theft of crown jewels just a year ago.

The Louvre's security team first detained the visitors before they were arrested for damaging the museum’s walls. The paintings, measuring 11.8 by 15.7 inches, depicted a man in armor and the pair with a woman. The Mona Lisa remained unharmed.

Museums in France have been on high alert as thieves have taken valuable objects from their walls. The Louvre itself was the subject of a major heist last year, with $102 million worth of crown jewels stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon. Since then, a series of thefts at various museums has followed.

Christophe Leribault, who replaced Laurence des Cars as the Louvre's president-director, has acknowledged that the museum is “at the end of its ropes” due to urgent building issues and the need for massive investment. Plans for a major renovation are underway, costing over €1 billion, to address overcrowding and create a new exhibition space for the Mona Lisa.