None of the alarms and only seven out of 43 surveillance cameras were working at a Cairo museum where a Vincent van Gogh painting was stolen, Egypt’s top prosecutor said yesterday.

Thieves made off with the canvas, known by the titles of Poppy Flowers and Vase with Flowers, yesterday from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in the Egyptian capital.

Prosecutor general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud told Egypt’s state news agency today that the thieves used a box cutter to remove the painting from its frame. He blamed the theft on the museum’s lax security measures, calling them “for the most part feeble and superficial”.

He said the museum guards’ daily rounds at closing time were inadequate and did not meet minimum security requirements to protect internationally renowned works of art.

Mr Mahmoud also said his office had warned Egypt’s museums to implement stricter security controls after nine paintings were stolen last year from another Cairo institute, the Mohammed Ali Museum. Similar security lapses were also blamed in that theft.