French investigators have made five more arrests in connection with the daring daytime heist of the French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, though the priceless treasures remain missing. The arrests occurred in separate operations across Paris and its neighboring regions, as announced by prosecutor Laure Beccuau. The identities of the suspects, who are believed to be part of a four-person team, have not yet been disclosed.
The stolen jewels, valued at 88 million euros ($102 million), were taken in less than eight minutes from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery during a brazen daylight robbery. Despite extensive searches, the goods have not been recovered. One suspect, a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France since 2010, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to flee to Algeria on a one-way ticket. He was previously known to police for traffic violations, and his DNA was recovered from a scooter used in the getaway.
Another suspect, a 39-year-old known to police for multiple prior thefts, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. Investigators matched his DNA to a glass display case that held the stolen jewels and to items the thieves left behind. The theft involved the use of a basket lift to scale the museum’s exterior, followed by forced entry through a window and the use of cutting tools to open display cases. The thieves escaped with eight historic pieces, including items linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s second wife.
The Louvre Museum director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged a ‘terrible failure’ in museum security. However, prosecutors have stated there is no evidence the theft was an inside job. The stolen jewels, including Eugénie’s emerald-encrusted crown, were later found damaged but recoverable outside the museum. In a direct appeal to those holding the missing jewels, Beccuau warned that they are ‘unsellable’ due to their historical significance and urged their return.
Beccuau emphasized that anyone who buys the stolen goods would be guilty of concealment of stolen property. ‘There’s still time to give them back,’ she stated. The incident adds to the history of high-profile museum breaches, leaving other galleries on edge about their own security measures.