French investigators have made a significant breakthrough in the audacious €88 million (£77 million) crown jewels heist at the Louvre last month, arresting four additional suspects. The Paris prosecutor confirmed the detentions, which are believed to include the final alleged member of the four-man robbery team.
The Latest Arrests and Suspects
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, announced that the four individuals taken into custody are two men aged 38 and 39, and two women aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region. According to French media reports, one of the male detainees is suspected of being the fourth and final robber, allegedly driving one of the two getaway scooters used in the meticulously planned operation.
Le Parisien newspaper, citing police sources, reported that this suspected robber was detained on Tuesday morning by officers from the anti-gang squad (BRB). The suspect, who has a criminal record, is being held at police headquarters and faces charges of organised robbery and criminal conspiracy. He is reportedly linked to the three other alleged gang members already under formal investigation, all of whom have connections to the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers.
The Brazen Seven-Minute Robbery
The heist, which took place on 19 October, ranks as one of the most spectacular in recent French history. The thieves executed a daring daylight robbery that lasted less than seven minutes from start to finish.
Their method was both simple and brazen. They parked a stolen truck outside the world-renowned museum and used an extendable ladder and a freight lift to access a first-floor window of the Apollo gallery. Two individuals smashed an unsecured window and two glass display cases before descending in the lift and fleeing on motorbikes driven by their accomplices.
The gang made off with eight priceless pieces, including:
- An emerald and diamond necklace presented by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie Louise.
- A diadem set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
Investigation and Wider Consequences
Despite the arrests, none of the estimated €88 million worth of crown jewels have been recovered. The investigation initially progressed thanks to DNA analysis of items left at the scene, which included gloves, a hi-vis vest, and disc cutters. This evidence led to the arrest a week after the robbery of the pair suspected of entering the museum, identified as Ayed G and Abdoulaye N.
A third man, Slimane K, believed to have driven one of the getaway scooters, was detained several days later. A fifth suspect, accused of assisting the gang, has also already been charged.
The theft has prompted severe criticism of security at the Louvre, the world's most visited museum. France’s state auditor described the event as "a deafening wake-up call" regarding the "wholly inadequate pace" of security upgrades. An administrative inquiry highlighted a "chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft" and "inadequate security" measures. The Louvre’s management has since accepted "most" of the auditor's conclusions.
