French authorities announced that five additional suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the shocking theft of jewels from the Louvre museum’s historic royal collection.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau reported that the arrests followed coordinated police operations in Paris on Wednesday evening. Among those detained, one individual was identified via DNA evidence found at the crime scene.
The stolen items — eight pieces from the French crown‐jewels collection valued at approximately €88 million (roughly US$102 million) — remain unrecovered.
“These jewels are now, of course, unsellable … Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods.” — Beccuau
According to investigators, the robbery took place on 19 October in the gallery known as the Galerie d’Apollon. The thieves posed as maintenance workers and used a boom truck with an elevated platform to reach a first-floor window, enabling them to break into display cases and flee in under eight minutes.
Beccuau said that two of the suspects arrested over the weekend had already “partially admitted” their involvement in the robbery. She also emphasised that she does not currently have evidence that museum staff were complicit:
“There is no evidence to suggest that the robbers had any accomplices within the museum’s staff.”
Meanwhile, the incident has triggered intense criticism of the Louvre’s security apparatus. Police have acknowledged that the museum’s surveillance camera system was outdated, and that certain external monitoring cameras were mis-directed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told the press the robbery was “an ultimate symbol” of a broader failure and warned about the national implications.
Investigators continue to search for the missing jewels and additional accomplices. Forensic teams are working with more than 100 investigators from France’s organised‐crime and cultural heritage protection units. Meanwhile, the museum has closed part of the site and is under pressure to accelerate security upgrades.
