French authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with last Sunday’s audacious theft of Napoleon-era crown jewels from the Louvre Museum, valued at around €88 million (£76 million), according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The two men, both in their 30s and from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris, were taken into custody on Saturday evening as part of an investigation led by the Paris organised crime unit.
One of the suspects was intercepted on Saturday October 25, at around 10 p.m. at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was about to board a plane abroad, reportedly bound for Algeria. The second was arrested later the same evening in Seine-Saint-Denis, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.
The arrests come a week after a gang of four men pulled off one of the most daring museum robberies in recent French history. Posing as construction workers and driving a stolen furniture removal truck fitted with a lift, they arrived at the Louvre at 9:30 a.m. and used the machinery to reach the first-floor Apollo Gallery — home to some of France’s most treasured royal artefacts.
Smashing an unsecured window, two of the thieves broke into the gallery wearing high-visibility vests. They then used disc cutters to open two display cases, seizing eight priceless pieces before escaping via the same lift. Outside, two accomplices on motorbikes helped them flee the scene.
The robbery, which occurred during opening hours at the world’s most visited museum, has sparked widespread criticism and raised serious questions about museum security. French media described the incident as a “national embarrassment,” prompting renewed scrutiny of the Louvre’s safety protocols.
Police have not yet confirmed whether the stolen jewels — which include pieces once belonging to Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie — have been recovered. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed on Sunday that one of the men was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris as he was about to leave the country. She did not say in her statement how many men were arrested or give more details. The investigation is ongoing.
