Five new suspects have been arrested in connection with the jewelry heist at the Louvre Museum, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office. This development follows the charging of two men on Wednesday, October 29, related to their involvement in the robbery, as reported by ABC News. The valuable jewels, stolen during a daytime heist that lasted just seven minutes on October 19, are still missing.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Louvre-Museum-after-robbery-102125-ecef38236f7445b093ce98e3bc9d8ac7.jpg)
The stolen items, valued at over $100 million, are linked to France’s history and bygone monarchy. The daring theft involved small chainsaws and angle grinders used by the thieves to access the targeted room in the iconic Paris museum. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that five additional suspects were apprehended on the evening of October 29, with the stolen jewels yet to be recovered.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson stated that the new suspects could be held for up to four days before facing charges or being released. The recent arrests came after two individuals taken into custody on October 25 admitted partial involvement in the crime during questioning. DNA evidence has linked a key suspect to the theft, indicating his participation in the four-man team responsible for the heist nearly two weeks ago.
The prosecutor hinted that the gang involved in the robbery might be larger than initially believed, based on CCTV footage findings. The two charged individuals are facing allegations of organized robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime in connection with the heist. They will remain in custody until their trial, where they could potentially receive a prison sentence of up to 15 years and significant fines if convicted.
Following the investigation led by the Paris Banditry Repression Brigade and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods, two suspects were apprehended – one at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport and the other in Paris. The stolen jewels include significant pieces worn by historical figures such as Queen Marie-Amélie, Queen Hortense, Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie, with some items subsequently recovered near the museum.
In response to the robbery, the Louvre Museum has relocated some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France’s highly secure vault in Paris, located 85 feet below the ground. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities working diligently to recover the stolen jewels and bring all involved in the heist to justice. The public eagerly awaits further developments and hopes for the retrieval of the historic treasures taken from the iconic Louvre Museum.