French authorities have arrested four additional suspects in the October 19 heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves stole jewels worth $102 million. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, announced the arrests, citing two men and two women aged 31 to 40, though the suspects’ roles in the crime remain unspecified.
The Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, previously acknowledged a ‘terrible failure’ in museum security, admitting that the only camera monitoring the outside of the museum faced away from the balcony leading to the gallery where the jewels were stored. Des Cars also confirmed that all alarms were functioning during the robbery.
Recent details have been revealed about the heist, with officials announcing stricter security measures. Des Cars shared these details with the Committee of Cultural Affairs of the National Assembly, highlighting the need for enhanced protection. The robbers used disc cutters to access the display cases, which, despite being replaced in 2019, were not designed to withstand such an attack.
The stolen jewels include a diamond-and-emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, jewelry tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara. These artifacts remain missing, with des Cars stating, ‘We failed these jewels,’ according to the BBC. The museum director emphasized the need for better security, warning that ‘no one is safe from brutal thieves—not even the Louvre.’
Earlier, preliminary charges had been filed against three men and one woman arrested in October, according to the Associated Press. The ongoing investigation focuses on the methods used by the thieves, including a truck-mounted lift, which allowed them to access the second floor and the Apollo Gallery during broad daylight.