Two individuals have been apprehended in connection with the recent Louvre Museum robbery, during which eight of France’s valuable crown jewels were stolen in a span of seven minutes. One of the suspects was intercepted at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a flight to Algeria days after the daylight robbery, where a gang absconded with jewelry worth £76 million. The suspects were put under surveillance based on forensic evidence linking them to the vicinity of the Louvre during the incident, as per investigative sources.
Following a heist, law enforcement often monitors suspects in the hope that they will lead to the recovery of the stolen items. However, when one of the suspects was sighted at the airport, detectives made a swift decision to arrest them. The individuals were taken for questioning to the high-security headquarters of the Paris judicial police.
The Louvre was placed on lockdown shortly after the robbery took place, with the group of thieves, disguised in high-visibility vests, using a mechanical ladder on a truck to access a first-floor balcony. They then breached a window at the Galerie d’Apollon using power tools before fleeing on scooters. Among the stolen items were a brooch adorned with 2348 diamonds and a tiara featuring 1083 diamonds, both previously worn by Napoléon Bonaparte’s relatives.
During their escape, the thieves dropped an ornate headpiece crafted for Empress Eugénie, Napoléon III’s wife, for the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris. The valuable piece sustained significant damage and will necessitate extensive restoration work over several months.
President Emmanuel Macron vowed to capture the perpetrators and recover the stolen items, prompting a widespread search operation. The recent arrests follow the disclosure by investigators that over 150 DNA traces, including fingerprints, were left behind by the burglars at the crime scene. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that forensic teams were actively analyzing these samples to swiftly identify the four individuals involved in the audacious heist.
Beccuau expressed optimism about locating the culprits, noting that if they have prior criminal records, their DNA profiles would already be on file with the police. The DNA samples were found on a stolen flatbed truck, as well as on a helmet and glove abandoned at the scene.
Authorities are eager for a prompt arrest of the perpetrators to recover the stolen jewelry before any potential dismantling or melting of the precious stones and metals. The Louvre, renowned as the world’s most visited museum, received nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, with 80% being tourists, including a substantial number from the UK. Thieves targeting historical artifacts are often believed to act on behalf of dealers who struggle to sell such items on the black market.
The museum has encountered significant security breaches in the past, notably in 1911 when the Mona Lisa was stolen by an employee and later recovered. Following the theft of Le Chemin de Sevres by Camille Corot in 1998, which remains unrecovered, the museum implemented substantial security enhancements.
