French authorities have arrested five new suspects in connection with the audacious jewellery theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, prosecutors confirmed on Thursday.
The arrests, which took place on Wednesday night across the Paris region, include a main suspect, according to a statement from Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau’s office. The development comes after two men previously detained “partially recognised” their involvement in the theft, AFP reported.
Items worth €88 million (£76 million; $102 million) were stolen from the museum on 19 October, when four thieves broke into the building in broad daylight. Beccuau told French radio RTL that the stolen jewels have not yet been recovered.
She added that DNA evidence from one of the suspects could be linked to the crime scene and that the individual is believed to be part of the four-man team captured on CCTV during the raid.
Authorities suspect that the gang behind the heist may be larger than those who physically carried out the robbery. The new detainees can be held for up to four days before being charged or released.
The first two suspects arrested, both men in their thirties with criminal records are thought to have used power tools to break into the museum’s Apollon Gallery, where the French crown jewels were displayed.
Beccuau revealed that one was detained while attempting to board a one-way flight to Algeria, while the other had not planned to leave France.
“There is no evidence at this stage to suggest the theft was an inside job,” Beccuau said, confirming that no accomplices worked at the museum.
According to investigators, the thieves entered the museum shortly after it opened to the public at 09:30 (08:30 GMT), using a stolen vehicle-mounted lift to access the Galerie d’Apollon balcony overlooking the River Seine. They used a disc cutter to smash open display cases, escaping just four minutes later on two scooters before switching to cars and fleeing east.
No one was threatened during the heist, authorities confirmed.
In response, security has been tightened across France’s major cultural institutions. The Louvre has since moved its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France, where they are now stored 26 metres below ground in one of its most secure vaults.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
