Louvre heist suspect is social media star and former museum security guard, reports say

"Identified by justice officials as Abdoulaye N, the 39-year-old man was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers, the suburb north of Paris where he was born, six days after the 19 October heist. He faces charges of organised theft and criminal conspiracy. A court in Bobigny, north of Paris, on Wednesday postponed his trial in a separate case in which he is accused of damaging public property, saying the conditions for a serene hearing could not be met due to media attention and recent events."

"Four suspects are in custody in relation to the theft, including three thought to have been members of the four-man gang who used a stolen truck with an extendable ladder and freight lift to reach the first-floor window of the museum's Apollo gallery. Two of the gang smashed an unsecured window and two glass display cases before descending in the lift and fleeing on motorbikes driven by the other two, in a brazen daylight heist that lasted less than seven minutes from start to finish."

Abdoulaye N, a 39-year-old from Aubervilliers with a social media following and a history as a Pompidou security guard, was arrested six days after the 19 October Louvre jewellery theft. He faces charges of organised theft and criminal conspiracy and had a separate trial postponed in Bobigny because media attention could prevent a serene hearing. Four suspects are in custody; the gang used a stolen truck with an extendable ladder and freight lift to reach the Apollo gallery window, smashed display cases, and fled on motorbikes. Eight historic pieces were taken; DNA and abandoned items tied one suspect to the scene.

Read at www.theguardian.com