Paris Louvre Heist: Suspects Apprehended in Daring Crown Jewels Theft

PARIS (AP) — Authorities have apprehended individuals linked to the daring heist of crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris, as confirmed by the Paris prosecutor on Sunday. This arrest follows a week after the audacious robbery that captured global attention.

The prosecutor revealed that the arrests were made on Saturday evening. Notably, one of the suspects was detained while attempting to depart from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Earlier reports from French media outlets, BFM TV and Le Parisien, indicated that two individuals had been apprehended and placed in custody. However, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not specify the number of arrests made or whether any of the jewels had been retrieved.

Last Sunday morning, thieves executed a swift operation at the world-renowned museum, making off with jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) in under eight minutes. According to French officials, the culprits employed a basket lift to ascend the Louvre’s exterior, pried open a window, shattered display cases, and escaped. The museum’s director described the incident as a “terrible failure.”

Beccuau noted that a specialized police unit focused on armed robberies, high-stakes burglaries, and art thefts conducted the arrests. She expressed concern over premature information leaks, stressing that such disclosures could impede the efforts of over 100 investigators “dedicated to recovering the stolen jewels and capturing all involved.” Further information will be disclosed following the suspects’ release from custody.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez praised “the investigators who have worked tirelessly, just as I asked them to, and who have always had my full confidence.”

The Louvre reopened earlier this week after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century stunned the world with its audacity and scale.

The thieves slipped in and out, making off with parts of France’s Crown Jewels — a cultural wound that some compared to the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019.

The thieves made away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

They also took an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, as well as a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot.

One piece — Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds — was later found outside the museum, damaged but repairable.

News of the arrests was met with relief by Louvre visitors and passersby on Sunday.

“It’s important for our heritage. A week later, it does feel a bit late, we wonder how this could even happen — but it was important that the guys were caught,” said Freddy Jacquemet.

“I think the main thing now is whether they can recover the jewels,” added Diana Ramirez. “That’s what really matters.”

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Petrequin reported from London.