Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the daring $100 million Louvre Museum heist that stunned France last week.
Authorities say the men are part of a four-member crew accused of stealing eight pieces from the French Crown Jewels during a daylight robbery.
Arrests Made
French police arrested one suspect Saturday night at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport as he tried to board a flight to Algeria.
A second man was captured in Paris shortly afterward, according to Le Parisien.
Both suspects, in their 30s and from the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris, are being held on charges of organized gang robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Two additional suspects remain at large.
High-Stakes Heist
Last week’s robbery unfolded like a Hollywood movie inside the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery.
Four masked men wearing yellow vests and motorcycle helmets used a cherry picker to scale the museum walls.
Once inside, they smashed glass display cases with chain saws as visitors watched in horror.
The heist lasted less than four minutes before the thieves escaped down the same cherry picker and fled on scooters.
The thieves made off with eight royal pieces worth roughly $100 million.
Among them were a sapphire diadem, necklace, and earring linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.
Also stolen were Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her jeweled corsage-bow brooch.
Her emerald-studded imperial crown, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum — damaged but recoverable.
Investigation Intensifies
Authorities have collected nearly 150 DNA, fingerprint, and hair samples from the crime scene.
One strand of hair believed to belong to the first intruder was found in a discarded motorcycle helmet and vest.
Police believe the men carried out the heist “on commission” for an unknown mastermind.
The two suspects are being held at police headquarters and can be detained for up to 96 hours without charges.
A preliminary report by France’s Court of Auditors found the Louvre’s security systems were outdated and underfunded.
The museum reportedly spent far less on surveillance in 2024 than it did two decades earlier.
Officials have since moved the Crown Jewels to a secure Bank of France vault.
Government Reaction
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised investigators for the arrests.
Laurent Nuñez
“I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly,” Nuñez said on X.
He urged police to maintain their “determination” as the manhunt continues.
Prosecutor’s Warning
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau criticized the media for leaking details of the arrests.
“This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilized investigators,” Beccuau said.
She stressed that it remains too early to share further details as authorities pursue the remaining suspects and search for the stolen jewels.
