Louvre jewellery heist: Five more arrests made in Paris as probe deepens

Earlier, two suspects from Aubervilliers were charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracy after being held for nearly four days

Five additional arrests were made overnight in Paris in the Louvre daylight robbery case, according to a report by Associated Press. One of those arrested is believed to be part of the four-member team that robbed the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery on October 19.

 

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that among the arrested, there is a man who was identified through DNA as one of the suspected thieves. While the man was a key target, the investigators hope that the others will explain how the robbery was carried out. 

 

The latest arrests follow two arrests earlier this week. Two suspects from Aubervilliers, aged 34 and 39, were charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracy after being held for nearly four days. While they gave limited statements, they partially agreed to being a part of the heist.

Stolen items remain missing

The stolen items, worth $102 million, remain missing. Thieves stole eight priceless royal jewels, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace given by Napoleon-I to his wife and a diamond-studded diadem that belonged to Empress Eugénie.

 

According to the report, Beccuau once again urged those in possession of the stolen jewels to return them. “These jewels are now, of course, impossible to sell,” she said. “Anyone who buys them would be guilty of hiding stolen goods. There’s still time to give them back.” 

 

Authorities had earlier warned that the thieves would not make nearly $120 million if they tried to melt the jewels. While melting them down could give thieves a small profit, the real value lies in their heritage and rarity, making resale extremely risky.

 

These pieces are almost impossible to sell legally because their history is so well documented, prosecutor Beccuau noted earlier.

Seven-minute heist

The entire robbery took less than seven minutes. Security footage shows at least four thieves breaking into the Apollo Gallery through a window in broad daylight, using power tools to cut open display cases and escaping on two scooters toward eastern Paris.

 

Investigators said the group arrived in a truck fitted with a freight lift that helped two men reach the gallery window. Once inside, they pried open two display cases and stole eight priceless pieces of jewellery, all within four minutes, before the alarms went off.

 

The thieves managed to steal eight of the nine targeted items, while dropping a diamond and emerald-studded crown in the process of fleeing.