PARIS — French police have arrested two suspects in connection with the daring theft of royal jewels valued at about 88 million euros ($95 million) from the Louvre museum, one of the most audacious robberies in France in recent decades.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Sunday that one suspect was taken into custody late Saturday night at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he prepared to board a flight. Officials later confirmed that a second suspect was also detained in the Paris region.
Authorities said one man was reportedly planning to travel to Algeria, while the other was preparing to leave for Mali. French media reported that DNA evidence recovered from the crime scene helped investigators identify at least one suspect.
The heist took place last Sunday, when four masked thieves armed with power tools broke into the Louvre’s Gallery of Apollo in broad daylight. They cut through a first-floor window to enter the gallery, threatened guards, and smashed open display cases containing crown jewels — including items once belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The entire operation lasted just four minutes before the suspects fled on two scooters waiting outside.
Officials said the thieves used a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to reach the balcony overlooking the River Seine. A preliminary investigation revealed major security lapses — including the absence of surveillance cameras in several rooms and outdated exterior CCTV systems. The museum’s director, Laurence des Cars, told French senators this week that one exterior camera had been facing away from the balcony the thieves used to gain entry.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted that the security failure had left France with a “terrible image,” while police sources warned that the stolen jewels might already have been dismantled or sold.
Following the heist, the Louvre transferred some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France, where they are now being stored in a high-security vault 26 meters (85 feet) underground.
Under French law, suspects in serious crimes can be held for up to 96 hours before being charged. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to locate the remaining accomplices and recover the missing jewels. (Source: IANS)
