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38-year-old woman charged in connection with Louvre jewellery heist: What we know
French authorities initially announced the arrest of two suspects, and this week, prosecutors stated that police had arrested five additional individuals.
A woman arrested this week in connection with the daring jewel heist at Paris's Louvre museum appeared before a magistrate, nearly in tears. The court will decide whether to detain her.
The 38-year-old, reportedly from La Courneuve, a northern suburb of Paris, was seen in tears as she confirmed her residence in court, news agency AFP reported.
She has been charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime. At the prosecution's request, the hearing continued in closed session.
Also Read | Louvre heist highlights thorny issue for museums: How to secure art without becoming fortresses
Why did the Louvre heist shake the world?
The heist, which took place last month, shocked the world for its audacity: thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre, one of the world's most visited museums, and made off with priceless jewels in just seven minutes.
The burglars made off with eight other items of jewellery. Among the stolen items were a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, an emerald-and-diamond necklace given by Napoleon I to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
Following the theft, French authorities moved quickly.
French authorities initially announced the arrest of two suspects, and this week, prosecutors stated that police had arrested five additional individuals, including a prime suspect.
Also Read | Two Louvre heist suspects to be charged with theft and conspiracy
The five detentions took place in and around Paris, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris.
One, a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France, was identified through DNA traces found on a scooter used in the escape and apprehended while trying to board a plane to Algeria.
The second, a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver from Aubervilliers, was arrested near his home.
One of the five people arrested this week was released without charge on Friday, said his lawyers, Sofia Bougrine and Noemie Gorin.
"In these serious crime cases, we find that waves of arrests look more like drift nets," Bougrine told AFP on Saturday, pointing to what she said was the indiscriminate nature of some of the arrests.
