"In a statement, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed the arrests, but declined to give any details until after the suspects' interrogation, which can go on for up to four days. France's interior minister Laurent Nuñez posted a message on X congratulating the police and calling for details of the "ongoing investigation", involving 100 officers, to remain a secret. Authorities then followed the suspects in a bid to find their accomplices and the jewels, intervening upon their attempt to flee the country."
"Both men are in their thirties and came from Seine-Saint-Denis to the north of the capital, according to the daily Le Parisien. There is no news of the eight stolen royal and imperial jewels, valued by the Louvre at €88m and mounted with more than 8,000 diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. According to police sources cited by several outlets, both suspects had criminal records and were identified with the help of DNA analysis, along with CCTV footage and phone tracking, within days of the theft."
"The heist, while breathtakingly fast, was nonetheless flawed. The thieves left behind their tools, gloves, a helmet and a yellow vest, as well as the elevator truck they had used, which they failed to set on fire thanks to the intervention of Louvre staff. As they fled the building, they also dropped the most valuable item, the crown of Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. It was spotted by a Louvre employee under the balcony of the Apollo Gallery."
Two men in their thirties from Seine-Saint-Denis have been arrested and are being questioned for 'gang theft' over the brazen theft of eight royal and imperial jewels from the Musée du Louvre. The jewels, valued at €88m and set with more than 8,000 diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, remain missing. One suspect was detained at Roissy airport while boarding a flight to Algeria and the other at a Paris suburb address while preparing to flee to Mali. Authorities used DNA analysis, CCTV footage and phone tracking to identify suspects, and 100 officers are involved in the ongoing search for accomplices and the jewels.
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