Two men have been arrested in connection with the robbery on suspicion of being the couple who broke into the museum’s Apollo room and stole the priceless jewels, Paris prosecutor Laure Becuot said today during a press conference. The two men have partially admitted their involvement in the robbery, the prosecutor said.
It is recalled that four hooded thieves made off with the jewels after breaking into the Louvre on the morning of October 19, exposing gaps in the world’s most visited museum’s security measures. The prosecutor also stated that currently the jewels “have not yet been found”, while pointing out that around 100 police officers are working on this case.
In addition, the French prosecutor also stated that there was no indication that the robbers had accomplices inside the museum, while she did not rule out the possibility that the gang had more members than the four who appeared to be taking part in the heist.
Those arrested are known to the authorities
According to information from the French newspaper “”, one of the two suspects has French citizenship, while the other has dual French-Algerian citizenship. In fact, the one from the competent departments that have undertaken the clarification of the case at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, who was preparing to board a flight to Algeria. Investigators from the BRB (:Robbery Suppression Brigade), who had been following the two suspects for a certain period of time in the hope of locating the stolen items and identifying their accomplices, were forced to step up their operations.
which is a very good district in the center of Paris.
The two men are in their 30s and known to the police for “sophisticated thefts”, as reported by sources quoted by the newspaper “Le Monde”. Their detention for “organized theft” and “criminal conspiracy” could last up to ninety-six hours.
At this stage of the investigation, investigators from the BRB and the Central Agency for Combating Trafficking in Cultural Goods, who are in charge of the investigation, are still searching for the loot, which is estimated at €88 million, as well as the other accomplices.
The judge announced that the prosecution is going to publish more information about the arrested, after the end of pre-trial detention.
