Two people were arrested on Saturday evening as France continued to investigate the audacious Louvre jewellery heist. he yet-to-be-identified robbers had waltzed out of the museum in broad daylight with eight dazzling pieces from the Napoleon and Empress collection last week — triggering a massive manhunt involving multiple agencies and hundreds of officials. Investigators had pinned their hopes on DNA samples and fingerprints on tools and other items found at the scene as days passed without any clear breakthrough.
According to a report by Le Parisien newspaper, two suspects were arrested and questioned by the French police on Saturday evening. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that some suspects had been nabbed without divulging additional details. Local media reported that one of them was nabbed from the airport around 10:00 pm while attempting to leave the country. Another suspect was arrested later in the evening in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris. It remained unclear whether any of the stolen jewellery had been recovered.
What do we know about the two suspects?
The two arrested suspects are believed to be roughly 30 years old and both hail from the northeastern Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. Officials suspect that the duo was part of the “professional” group of four criminals that pulled off the stunning heist earlier this week. A Le Parisien report indicated that they had already been known to the police for prior burglaries and likely operating on orders given by an yet-to-be-identified mastermind.
Heist and getaway under 10 minutes
Thieves took less than eight minutes last Sunday morning to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) from the world’s most-visited museum. French officials have described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the façade of the museum before forcing open a window to enter. They had quickly smashed display cases and collected nine dazzling pieces from the Napoleon and Empress collection before making their exit. One of the stolen pieces was later found on the premises of the Louvre.
The shocking robbery took place during museum visiting hours with horrified tourists watching the crime unfold in real time. Reports citing surveillance footage indicate that the masked thieves had “calmly” entered the Apollo Gallery before breaking the glass displays in full view of bystanders. The entire crime unfolded within four minutes — with security staff quickly evacuating visitors and putting the museum under lockdown.