The Paris prosecutor says in a statement that one of the suspects was captured at Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris, on Saturday night, without confirming the number of arrests or providing further details. Le Parisien adds that the two men are around 30 years old and are part of a gang of four people who orchestrated the robbery a week ago.
Two people were arrested on Saturday in connection with the robbery of the Louvre museum in Paris, during which the thieves made off with priceless jewels, including part of the French crown jewels.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement that the arrests took place on Saturday night, but did not reveal the exact number of people detained. Beccuau also said that a man was detained at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, in the north of the French capital, when he tried to leave the country.
It was not immediately clear whether police recovered any of the stolen jewelry, which included royal tiaras, necklaces, earrings and other pieces adorned with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.
The two men are suspected of being part of a group of four criminals who used a lifting platform to reach one of the windows in the museum’s Apollo Gallery last Sunday, at the Louvre’s opening time.
The news of the arrests was initially reported by the newspaper, which states that one of the alleged thieves was detained while trying to board a flight to Algeria.
The second suspect was arrested shortly afterwards, on Saturday night, in the Paris region. According to Le Parisien and Paris Match magazine, the two were being questioned this Sunday morning, information that Beccuau neither confirmed nor denied.
The two suspects, both from Seine-Saint-Denis and aged in their 30s, are believed to be part of a gang of four who organized the impressive robbery, during the museum’s opening hours.
In a message published that day, on the social network X, the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, said that the theft of the jewels occurred when the Louvre was opening. Over the following hours and days, more details about the robbery were released.
According to the newspaper, three criminals stole nine pieces from Napoleon’s jewelry collection, with the same source revealing that one of the jewelry was found outside the museum, having been identified as the crown of Empress Eugenie, the last empress of France.
The robbery lasted no more than four minutes and occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 (local time, 8:30 and 9:40 in Portugal) on October 19, coinciding with the opening time of the Louvre.
According to the preliminary investigation, the suspects were able to access the room where the jewelry was displayed. Afterwards, , which was found by the police nearby.
During the week, it was reported that the balcony area was used by the robbers, leading investigators to suspect the involvement of museum employees, who knew which entrance should be used.
In total, the jewels stolen a week ago are valued at around , as revealed by the Paris prosecutor in the aftermath of the events.
