Arrests Made in Louvre Museum Jewel Heist
French police have made arrests in connection with the heist of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris, officials said Sunday, reports BritPanorama.
One of the men was apprehended on Saturday evening while “preparing to leave the country” from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
Beccuau stated that investigators are still working “to recover the stolen jewels and to locate all of the perpetrators,” adding that further details would be released at the end of the police custody period. AFP reports that two men were taken into custody on suspicion of organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez congratulated investigators on Sunday. A substantial police operation has been enacted to locate the four thieves who were captured on camera making off with eight pieces from the museum in a daylight robbery early last Sunday.
The robbers arrived in a furniture-lift truck, sliced through a window of the Galerie d’Apollon, threatened guards, and smashed through two display cases before speeding off on scooters. The stolen crown jewels have an estimated value of 88 million euros ($102 million), not including their cultural and historical significance to the French populace.
Beccuau expressed concern regarding leaks to the media, stating that “hasty disclosure of this information by individuals who had knowledge of it, without any consideration for the investigation,” could hinder progress. Investigators fear the thieves may choose to melt down and break up the artifacts for sale.
“The wrongdoers who took these gems won’t earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels,” Beccuau informed RTL. “We can perhaps hope that they’ll think about this and won’t destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason.”
The robbery has struck at the heart of France’s national pride, wounding a country that views its cultural heritage as integral to its identity. The incident raises uncomfortable questions about how the world’s most visited museum was breached so easily.
The thieves used a monte-meubles—a truck mounted with a basket lift—to access a second-floor balcony, avoiding the attention of police or security. Some commentators are regarding the theft as a national humiliation.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the event, calling it “an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.” He vowed to “recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” asserting that “everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this.”
