Five New Suspects Are Arrested in the €88 Million Jewellery Theft at the Louvre
French prosecutors reveal five further arrests, including one of the major suspects, as the investigation into the multimillion-euro robbery at the Louvre continues.
Prosecutors in France reported Thursday that five additional suspects have been taken into custody in relation to the bold jewelry robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
In a statement, the office of Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that a primary suspect was among the people arrested on Wednesday night in the Paris region. This comes after two previously jailed individuals “partially recognized” their role in the heist, according to AFP.
In broad daylight on October 19, four robbers entered into the museum and took items valued at €88 million (£76 million; $102 million). They haven’t found the stolen gems yet, Beccuau told French radio station RTL.
The suspect is thought to have been a member of the four-man squad that was filmed on CCTV during the raid, she continued, adding that DNA evidence from one of the suspects may be connected to the murder scene.
The gang that planned the heist may have been larger than the individuals who actually performed the robbery, according to the authorities. It may take up to four days for the new detainees to be charged or freed.
The first two suspects detained are both thirty-something men with criminal histories who are believed to have broken into the Apollon Gallery of the museum, which housed the French crown jewels, using power tools.
“One had not intended to leave France, and the other was arrested while trying to board a one-way flight to Algeria,” Beccuau disclosed.
“At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that the theft was an inside job,” Beccuau stated, indicating that the museum was not home to any collaborators.
Using a stolen vehicle-mounted lift, the robbers gained access to the Galerie d’Apollon balcony with a view of the Seine River just after the museum opened to the public at 9:30 (08:30 GMT), investigators are reporting. Four minutes later, they were on two scooters, then they switched to automobiles and ran east after smashing open display cases with a disc cutter.
Authorities said there were no threats made during the theft.
France’s main cultural institutions have increased security in response. The Bank of France currently houses the most expensive treasures that the Louvre formerly owned, 26 meters down in one of its safest vaults.
