Copyright timesnownews
One of the suspects accused of stealing $100 million worth of France's Crown Jewels from the Louvre Museum has been arrested while attempting to flee the country, the French media reported on Sunday. The man, who has not been publicly identified, was detained on Saturday night at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to board a flight to Algeria, according to Le Parisien. A second suspect was later arrested in the French capital. Two other men remain at large. What Do We Know About the Suspects? Both arrested suspects, said to be in their 30s and from Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, were taken into custody on charges of "organised gang robbery" and "criminal conspiracy," prosecutors said. The arrests come a week after four men dressed in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets carried out a daylight robbery at the Louvre's Apollo Gallery. Also Read: Louvre Jewels Get A New Home After Luxury Heist Using a cherry picker, the thieves scaled the museum's walls, broke through the gallery windows and smashed display cases with chainsaws as shocked visitors looked on. The heist lasted less than four minutes, with the robbers escaping with eight pieces of jewellery linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. What Was Stolen from the Louvre? Among the stolen pieces were a sapphire diadem, necklace, single earring, Empress Eugénie's diamond diadem, and a large diamond-studded corsage brooch. Eugénie's emerald-set crown, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was found damaged but recoverable outside the museum. According to Le Parisien, investigators believe the robbery was carried out on commission and that the suspects were already known to police for previous thefts. Officers have gathered nearly 150 DNA traces, fingerprints and hair samples from the scene and other locations across Paris. A strand of hair believed to belong to one of the suspects was reportedly found inside a discarded motorcycle helmet and safety vest. The two detained men are being questioned at Paris police headquarters, where they can be held for up to 96 hours without charge. Since the heist, security has been reinforced at major French museums, and the recovered Crown Jewels have been transferred to a secure vault at the Bank of France. A report by France's Court of Auditors, due in November, is expected to criticise the Louvre's outdated surveillance systems. The El País newspaper reported that security spending at the museum in 2024 was significantly lower than two decades ago. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised investigators for their work following 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," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry... We keep going!" However, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau criticised media outlets for publishing details of the arrests, warning that leaks could hamper the ongoing investigation. "This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilised investigators, both in the search for the stolen jewellery and for all the perpetrators," she said. "It is too early to provide any specific details."
