French authorities announced the arrest of four additional suspects in connection with the $102 million jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, stated that four new suspects have been arrested in relation to the theft that occurred last month. These individuals, which include two men and two women between the ages of 31 and 40, are currently in custody. However, Beccuau has not disclosed the exact roles these suspects allegedly played in the heist.
Louvre Museum director Laurence des Cars previously stated there had been a ‘terrible failure’ in museum security, acknowledging that despite daily efforts, the museum failed to protect its valuable collections. Des Cars admitted the security measures around the museum’s perimeter were insufficient. She specifically pointed out that the sole camera monitoring the area around the museum was directed away from the balcony that led to the Apollo Gallery, where the jewels were kept. She also mentioned that all the museum’s alarms were functioning during the heist, indicating that security systems were operational but the thieves managed to bypass them.
As a result of the incident, the museum has announced plans for increased security measures. Des Cars provided details of these improvements to the Committee of Cultural Affairs of the National Assembly. She noted that the robbers used disc cutters to access the display cases, which had been replaced in 2019 to protect against weapon attacks. However, the method used by the thieves was ‘not imagined at all,’ indicating that the security upgrades did not account for the precise technique employed by the gang.
The stolen jewels are of significant historical and monetary value, including a diamond-and-emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, as well as jewels associated with 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara. None of these items have been recovered, and des Cars expressed regret over the theft, stating that ‘we failed these jewels’ and that no one is safe from ‘brutal thieves – not even the Louvre.’
Beccuau had previously stated that the thieves used a truck-mounted lift, similar to what movers use for heavy furniture, to gain access to the museum’s second floor. This allowed them to break into the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight and steal eight jewels valued at 88 million euros or $102 million. Preliminary charges have been filed against three men and one woman arrested in October in connection with the heist, and the ongoing investigation continues to seek answers regarding the full extent of the suspects’ involvement in the crime.