Police in France have arrested suspects linked to last week’s dramatic heist at the Louvre Museum, where parts of France’s Crown Jewels worth €88 million were stolen, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Sunday.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the arrests were made Saturday evening during an operation carried out by a special police unit that handles major robberies and art thefts. One of the suspects was detained at Roissy Airport as he attempted to leave the country, she added.
French media earlier reported two arrests, though the prosecutor did not confirm the number of people in custody or whether any of the stolen treasures had been recovered so far.
The brazen robbery unfolded early last Sunday and took the thieves less than eight minutes. Using a basket lift, they scaled the façade of the world‑famous museum, forced open a window, smashed display cases and escaped with jewels tied to France’s royal and imperial heritage. The Louvre’s director described the theft as a “terrible failure.”
Beccuau warned that leaked details could hamper the efforts of more than 100 investigators “mobilised to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators.” Further information will be released after the suspects’ interrogation period ends, she said.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez applauded the efforts of investigators, saying they had worked relentlessly “with my full confidence.”
The Louvre reopened to visitors earlier this week following what many described as one of the century’s most audacious museum robberies — a cultural blow compared by some to the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.
A total of eight artifacts were stolen, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring linked to 19th‑century queens Marie‑Amélie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings associated with Empress Marie‑Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife; and imperial jewels belonging to Empress Eugénie.
One piece — Eugénie’s emerald‑studded crown featuring more than 1,300 diamonds — was found damaged outside the museum but is considered restorable.
Source: AP