E-Paper
Big breakthrough in $102-million jewel heist at Paris Louvre museum, 2 arrested
French police arrested two suspects on Saturday in connection with the high-profile Louvre heist, Le Parisien reports.
French police reportedly arrested two individuals on Saturday evening in connection with the high-profile Louvre jewel heist, and both are currently being questioned.
A Paris prosecutor, quoted by the Associated Press, confirmed that several suspects were taken into custody over the theft of crown jewels from the museum, though authorities have not yet released their identities.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, one suspect was apprehended around 10 pm at Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to leave the country, while the second was arrested later in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris.
Both men, believed to be around 30 years old, are suspected of being part of a four-member gang that carried out the audacious robbery, which involved the theft of jewels valued at approximately $102 million in just seven minutes.
The robbers used a stolen movers’ truck with an extendable ladder to break into a first-floor gallery, authorities said.
Investigators said the thieves used a basket lift to scale the Seine-facing side of the building, broke open a window, smashed two display cases, and escaped on motorcycles within minutes.
During their escape, the thieves dropped a diamond- and emerald-studded crown but successfully made off with eight other pieces, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace once given by Napoleon Bonaparte to his wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
Alarms blared and security rushed to the scene, but the thieves had already vanished.
The heist captured global attention, making headlines worldwide for its cinematic audacity. Experts and the public alike have noted the theatrical nature of the robbery, likening it to scenes straight out of a movie.
