French police have arrested five more suspects in connection with the audacious $102 million jewel theft from the Louvre Museum’s Apollo Gallery, Paris prosecutors said Thursday.
The arrests mark a major step forward in the investigation into one of France’s most shocking museum robberies, though the stolen treasures remain missing.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL radio that the suspects were detained in simultaneous police raids across Paris on Wednesday evening. One of the suspects was identified through DNA traces found at the crime scene, Beccuau confirmed.
Before the latest arrests, two other men detained over the weekend had “partially admitted” their involvement in the heist. Beccuau said one of them was apprehended while attempting to flee France, prompting authorities to accelerate their operations. “At that point, we obviously had to speed up the arrest operations,” she said.
The theft, carried out by four individuals, exposed serious security gaps at the world’s most-visited museum and quickly became a national embarrassment. While the investigation has focused on the immediate perpetrators, Beccuau did not rule out a larger network behind the operation, possibly including a mastermind who ordered the theft.
“The jewels are still missing,” she said, adding that investigators remain hopeful the latest arrests will help uncover where the stolen items were taken.
The heist ranks among the most valuable art-related thefts in French history, rivaling past crimes at the Musée d’Orsay and Château de Fontainebleau. Investigators estimate the stolen collection’s value at around $102 million.
The missing pieces were part of the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, a hall known for displaying the crown jewels of France, including artifacts once owned by Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. Among the stolen items, officials believe, were diamond-encrusted brooches, emerald necklaces, and gold ornaments dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
The jewels carried immense historical and cultural significance, symbolizing centuries of French monarchy.
Authorities continue to search for clues on how the robbers breached security inside one of the most heavily guarded museums in the world.
The investigation is ongoing.
Africa Digital News, New York
