Two men were arrested last night and remanded in custody as part of the investigation into the spectacular theft of jewelry from the Louvre Museum in Paris, two sources close to the investigation into the case announced today, confirming information to French media.
One of the suspects was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris as he was preparing to board a flight abroad, the Parisien daily and the Paris-Match weekly reported.
Paris prosecutor Laure Becchio confirmed today that investigators had detained some people last night, without specifying their number.
"One of the detained men was preparing to leave French territory from Roissy airport," she said, but also expressed regret that the media had reported the arrests.
Such information "can only harm the investigative efforts of the hundreds of investigators mobilized in the search for both the stolen jewelry and all the perpetrators," the prosecutor said.
Two sources told AFP that the two men were remanded in custody on charges of armed robbery and criminal association. Their detention could last up to 96 hours.
The investigation is being led by the Paris Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property.
One of the sources said that the man arrested at the airport was supposed to travel to Algeria.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez congratulated investigators on the X network for the arrest.
The two detained are suspected of being part of a group of four men who stole eight pieces of French royal jewelry, estimated to be worth 88 million euros, from the Louvre.
The group parked a truck with a crane in front of the museum in the center of the French capital at around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 19. The two men climbed up to the gallery where the jewelry was, smashed windows and jewelry display cases, and fled on two scooters. The entire robbery lasted seven to eight minutes.
About a hundred investigators are involved in the investigation.
Prosecutor Bekio previously said that more than 150 samples of DNA traces, fingerprints and other impressions were taken at the scene of the theft.
While fleeing, the perpetrators left behind, among other things, gloves, a helmet, two grinders, a yellow vest, and a walkie-talkie, from which fingerprints and samples were taken.
They also dropped the crown of Empress Eugenia in their escape, which was found after the robbery. The crown is damaged and needs to be restored.
The thieves did not have time to set fire to the truck with the crane, which investigators also checked.
The prosecutor said that video surveillance made it possible to track the movements of the perpetrators in Paris and its suburbs, and stated that they also used footage available thanks to public or private cameras (highways, banks, businesses).
No jewelry has been found so far. There is a risk that diamonds and gemstones have been separated from the jewelry.
"As for the thieves, we always find them in the end. It seems to be a case of large-scale banditry," Interior Minister Nunez told the Tribune Dimanche newspaper, but added that he was "concerned about the jewelry."
"Unfortunately, loot is often sold abroad. I hope that is not the case here," he said.
The robbery, which appears to have been carefully planned, has raised questions about the security of the world's most famous museum. The investigation has been entrusted to the Inspectorate General for Cultural Affairs (IGAC).
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