Jewelry stolen from the Louvre museum has not yet been found, the Paris prosecutor said on Wednesday, adding that two suspects arrested over the weekend had partially acknowledged their involvement in the theft.
Four hooded thieves made off with the jewels after breaking into the Louvre on the morning of October 19, exposing security lapses at the world’s most visited museum.
The two men detained, both in their 30s and with criminal records, were arrested on Saturday. One of them was trying to board a flight to Algeria.
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So far, there is no evidence to suggest that people from the museum were involved in the theft, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said at a press conference.
“I want to remain hopeful that (the jewels) will be found and can be brought back to the Louvre and, more broadly, to the nation,” Beccuau said.
Thieves stole eight precious pieces from the Louvre collection worth an estimated $102 million on October 19, exposing security lapses as they broke into the world’s most visited museum by using a crane to break an upper-floor window during opening hours. They fled on motorcycles.
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The museum’s cameras were unable to detect the invaders in time to prevent the robbery, which took six to seven minutes and was carried out by four unarmed people, who threatened the guards with grinders.
Security failures at the Louvre forced the museum to transfer some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France under secret police escort, according to French radio station RTL.
News of the robbery resonated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some considered a national humiliation.
