Two men have been arrested in connection with the £78 million theft of crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris, French police confirmed on Sunday. The suspects, both in their 30s and from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb, were taken into custody after one was intercepted at Charles de Gaulle airport attempting to board a flight to Algeria.
The arrests came after forensic teams recovered at least 150 DNA samples and fingerprints from the scene, including from a stolen flatbed truck, a crash helmet, and a glove abandoned by the gang. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau expressed optimism that the suspects, already known to police for burglaries, could be linked to the crime through existing forensic databases.
The heist occurred in broad daylight a week ago at the Apollo Gallery, where seven historic pieces from France's crown jewels were stolen. Among the items taken were a brooch containing 2,348 diamonds and a tiara with 1,083 diamonds, once worn by relatives of Napoleon Bonaparte. One ornate headpiece created for Empress Eugénie was dropped by the thieves and badly damaged, requiring months of restoration.
CCTV footage from public and private cameras helped police track the escape route of the four raiders, who fled on two motorbikes after a seven-minute burglary. Five security guards reportedly ran away during the incident, and police responding to an alarm arrived too late to intercept the gang.
Prosecutor Beccuau warned of a race against time to recover the jewellery before the stones are removed and metals melted. She noted that media coverage of the theft offered hope that the perpetrators would be reluctant to move the items, adding, 'I want to be optimistic.' The two arrested men were being questioned at the high-security headquarters of the Paris judicial police on Sunday.
