According to Le Parisien, two men in their 30s from Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris known for its deprived areas, were detained on Saturday evening. Both were already known to police, and one suspect was intercepted at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he prepared to fly to Algeria. There has been no word yet on whether any of the stolen crown jewels have been recovered.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau declined to disclose the number of arrests or details about the suspects and expressed frustration over leaks about the operation. She said that the revelation could hinder the work of the 100 investigators involved in the search for the stolen jewellery and the perpetrators.
Under mounting public pressure to deliver results, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez congratulated investigators on social media but offered no further information.
The heist took place on October 19, when four hooded thieves stole eight priceless items worth an estimated 102 million dollars from the Louvre’s collection. The robbers used a crane to break through an upstairs window during opening hours and fled on motorbikes.
The stolen jewels included a tiara and an earring that once belonged to Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense from the early nineteenth century. The crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, was later found damaged outside the museum, apparently dropped during the escape.
The theft, which revealed major security lapses at the world’s most visited museum, sparked outrage and debate across France. Built in the late twelfth century, the Louvre was once the royal residence of French kings before being converted into a public museum in 1793. Home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, it welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year.
