French authorities have arrested two men in connection with the brazen Crown Jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris after a week long investigation.
One week after four thieves who broke into the Apollo Gallery with simple tools and a ladder truck, absconding with an estimated $102 million in 19th-century royal jewels on high-powered scooters, two men were arrested on Saturday evening in connection to the robbery.
According to Le Figaro, one of the men was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris, reportedly preparing to board a flight to the former French colony of Algeria. The second man was arrested while attempting to flee to the African nation of Mali, Figaro reported.
Recently installed Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez commented on X of the arrests: “I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence. The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry under the authority of the specialized interregional jurisdiction of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office. It will be with the same determination!! We keep going!!”
At present, it is unclear if Paris police have recovered any of the stolen jewellery, or indeed if there is any progress on arresting the other two men suspected of being involved in the case. There are also reports claiming that the bandits may have had an insider at the museum.
A police source described as being close to the investigation told London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper: “There is digital forensic evidence that shows there was co-operation with one of the museum’s security guards and the thieves.
“Sensitive information was passed on about the museum’s security, which is how they were aware of the breach.”
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor in charge of the investigation, confirmed to the Ouest France news outlet that her office is considering all possibilities, including “complicity within the museum”.
She went on to say that police have obtained over 150 DNA samples from the scene of the crime as well as from various items left behind by the robbers, including a helmet, angle grinders, a vest, and gloves, and that investigators should receive “feedback in the coming days, which may provide us with leads, especially if the perpetrators were on file.”
Beccuau added that over 100 investigators from various agencies have been collecting CCTV video surveillance footage from public and private cameras, which has “enabled us to follow their route in Paris and neighbouring departments.”
While many fear that the crown jewels would have been broken apart by the robbers to be sold on the black market, the Paris prosecutor said: “I won’t hide from you that the media coverage of this organised theft gives me a small hope that the perpetrators won’t dare move too much with the jewellery. And that we can therefore recover them if we manage to move quickly.
“I want to be optimistic. And that’s the hope that the investigators also maintain, hence their absolute and intense mobilisation.”
The robbery has raised questions over the state of security surrounding the Louvre and other areas of historical significance in France.
Following the heist, an upcoming report from the independent Court of Auditors was leaked to the Paris press, revealing that there had been a “persistent postponement of the master plan for the modernisation of security equipment” and that major areas of the museum were not covered by surveillance cameras.
On Wednesday, Laurence des Cars, the first female director of the Louvre, admitted that there were no security cameras monitoring the area of the Apollo gallery where the thieves broke in.
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