Two suspects arrested in Louvre jewel heist case
French authorities have detained two men suspected of being part of the four-man crew who stole precious jewellery from the world-famous Louvre museum last week, two sources close to the case said on Sunday, confirming media reports.
One of the suspects was apprehended around 10pm on Saturday local time at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to board a plane abroad, French media Le Parisien and Paris Match reported.
The second was arrested not long after in the Paris region, according to Le Parisien.
The robbers had clambered up the extendable ladder of a stolen movers’ truck and, using cutting equipment, broke into a first-floor gallery.
They dropped a diamond- and emerald-studded crown as they fled down the ladder and onto scooters, but managed to steal eight other pieces, include an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon Bonaparte gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
The brazen theft has made headlines across the world and sparked a debate in France about the security of cultural institutions.
The Louvre’s cameras failed to detect burglars in time to prevent their audacious daylight heist of some of France’s crown jewels, the museum’s director said on Wednesday.
Many in France and around the world have been baffled by how four hooded assailants were able to drive up to the world’s most visited museum, smash a second-floor window and make off with a handsome booty.
