In a significant development, French authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of five additional suspects linked to the audacious daytime theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum. Despite these arrests, the invaluable treasures remain unaccounted for.

Law enforcement officials conducted a series of operations across Paris and its surrounding areas, including the Seine-Saint-Denis region, leading to these arrests, as confirmed by prosecutor Laure Beccuau in an interview with RTL radio. The identities of the individuals taken into custody have not been disclosed to the public.

Among those apprehended is a person believed to have been part of a quartet that boldly entered the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery on October 19, executing a swift heist that netted jewels worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) in under eight minutes.

“Unfortunately, searches conducted last night and into the early hours did not yield the missing treasures,” Beccuau revealed.

Meanwhile, visitors continued to explore the Louvre Museum’s courtyard amid the rain on Monday, October 27, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Two other members of the team were arrested Sunday and given preliminary charges Wednesday of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organized gang. Beccuau said both have at least in part recognized their involvement in the heist.

One suspect, a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France since 2010, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to flee to Algeria on a one-way ticket. He lived in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers and was previously known to police for traffic violations. His DNA was recovered from a scooter used in the getaway.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau speaks during a news conference at the Paris courthouse Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, on the judicial investigation into the robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

The second suspect, 39, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. He was known to police for multiple prior thefts. Investigators matched his DNA to a glass display case that held the stolen jewels, as well as to items the thieves left behind, the prosecutor added.

The thieves used a basket lift to scale the museum’s exterior, forced open a window, and used cutting tools to open display cases in the Apollo Gallery. They escaped with eight historic pieces, including:

– A sapphire diadem, necklace, and earring set linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense

– An emerald necklace and earrings belonging to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s second wife

– A reliquary brooch

– Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and elaborate corsage-bow brooch

Eugénie’s emerald-encrusted crown – set with over 1,300 diamonds – was later found damaged but recoverable outside the museum.

Louvre Director Laurence des Cars acknowledged a “terrible failure” in museum security. However, Beccuau said there is no evidence the theft was an inside job.

A police car parks in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum, one week after the robbery, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

In a direct appeal to those holding the missing jewels, Beccuau on Wednesday night warned they are “unsellable” due to their historical significance and urged their return.

“Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods,” she said. “There’s still time to give them back.”