Paris prosecutor says apprehended Louvre heist suspects have spoken, as $102M crown jewels remain missing
Authorities have yet to recover the jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum despite the arrest of two suspects in the case, French investigators announced Wednesday.
Four thieves broke into the Louvre on October 19 and made off with an estimated $102 million worth of crown jewels, with the heist lasting less than 10 minutes. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau delivered an update on the investigation to the press on Wednesday.
“I want to remain hopeful that [the jewels] will be found and they can be brought back to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation”, Beccuau said.
There is no evidence that the robbery was an inside job, according to Beccuau. Authorities made the two arrests on Saturday, with one of the men attempting to board a plane to Algeria. Beccuau said that the suspects in custody have at least in part recognized their involvement in the heist, Reuters reported.
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The crew of thieves used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled, according to French officials. The Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged there was a “terrible failure” in the museum’s security.
Beccuau said investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts made the arrests. She said the premature leak of information could hinder the work of over 100 investigators “mobilized to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators.”
BRAZEN LOUVRE ROBBERY CREW MAY HAVE BEEN HIRED BY COLLECTOR, PROSECUTOR SAYS
The thieves escaped with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. They also stole an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, and a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot.
Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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