Louvre jewel heist by petty criminals, not organised professionals, says Paris prosecutor

"The brazen daytime heist at the Louvre was carried out by petty criminals rather than professionals from the world of organised crime, the Paris prosecutor has said, describing two of the suspects as a couple with children. The assertion comes two weeks after thieves parked a stolen truck outside the world's most-visited museum, used a furniture lift to reach the first floor, then smashed their way into one of the museum's most ornate rooms."

"Less than seven minutes later, they escaped on scooters with crown jewels worth an estimated 88m (76m). The audacious heist, carried out on a Sunday in broad daylight, has prompted a reckoning in France. Four people have since been charged, but the stolen gems, which include an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave to his second wife, Marie Louise, and a diadem set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds that once belonged to Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III,"

"Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said on Sunday she did not rule out that there could be other accomplices involved as well as the people already charged. Photograph: Sadak Souici/EPA This is not quite everyday delinquency but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organised crime, Beccuau said. She described those charged as local people, saying that they all hailed from Seine-Saint-Denis, a department north of Paris that is one of the poorest in France."

Petty local criminals executed a bold daytime robbery at the Louvre, parking a stolen truck, using a furniture lift to access the first floor and smashing into an ornate room. The thieves fled on scooters in under seven minutes with crown jewels valued at about 88m (76m), including an emerald and diamond necklace from Napoleon I and a diadem set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds once owned by Empress Eugenie. Some items were dropped during the escape and tools left at the scene may bear DNA. Four people have been charged; at least one suspect remains at large. Prosecutors said the charged suspects hail from Seine-Saint-Denis and did not rule out additional accomplices.

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