Two men who are accused of stealing about $100 million worth of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre were arrested on Saturday night. One suspect tried to escape the country but was caught at Paris‑Charles de Gaulle Airport, while the other was taken into custody a short time later in Paris. Police say two more suspects are still at large.
The arrested men – both in their 30s and from the Seine‑Saint‑Denis suburb north of Paris – were detained as part of an investigation into an “organized gang robbery” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.” French police were warned that one suspect was planning to board a flight for Algeria, and they stopped him just before the plane took off.
At the Louvre, the thieves used a cherry picker to climb up to the Apollo Gallery. They broke large glass displays with chainsaws while visitors watched. The robbery, which lasted fewer than four minutes, saw the burglars exit on two scooters and even attempt to light a bucket truck on fire as they tried to flee.
Eight pieces of the crown jewels were taken, including a sapphire diadem, a necklace, an earring from a set belonging to 19th‑century queens Marie‑Amélie and Hortense, as well as Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and large brooch. A damaged emerald‑set crown that holds 1,300 diamonds was later found nearby the museum. To date, police have not recovered any of the stolen jewelry.
Law enforcement recovered almost 150 samples of DNA, fingerprints, and hair from the scene and are working to connect them to the suspects. The police hold the two men at headquarters, where they can be kept in custody for up to 96 hours without immediate charges.
Security at the Louvre was instantly tightened after the break‑in. The museum’s crown jewels have been moved to a highly secure vault at the Bank of France. A preliminary report by France’s Court of Auditors, set to be released in November, highlighted that the museum’s surveillance systems were under‑funded and insufficient.
France’s interior minister praised the police’s swift action, saying investigators had worked “tirelessly” and urged the public to remain calm. A prosecutor from the Paris court warned that early leaks could hamper further investigations into the robbery and the recovery of the missing jewels.
Source: New York Post
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