Roommates, it looks like the Louvre jewel heist may finally be losing its mystery aura! On Wednesday (October 27), a Paris prosecutor provided an update on the arrest of two suspects in the case. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said at a news conference that the men admitted their involvement in the robbery. Officials now reportedly believe the men are who forced their way into the world’s most visited museum.
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What’s Next For The Louvre Jewel Heist Suspects?
To recap, it took thieves less than eight minutes to steal the jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) on Oct. 19. The robbers forced open a window, cut into cases with power tools and fled with eight pieces of the French crown jewels. They used scooters to get away along the Seine river toward eastern Paris. There, the thieves had some other vehicles parked.
Prosecutor Beccuau said the two men arrested on Saturday night “are suspected of being the ones who broke into the Apollo Gallery to steal the jewels.”
Prosecutors had faced a late Wednesday deadline to charge the suspects, release them or seek a judge’s extension. Now, they face preliminary charges of theft committed by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy, per the Associated Press. Officials expect to hold the men in provisional detention after they “partially” admitted their participation in the Louvre heist.
However, Beccuau declined to provide details about the suspects’ statements to investigators. She said accomplices may listen. Video surveillance cameras showed there were at least four criminals involved, Beccuau said. At least two other accomplices are at large. Additionally, Prosecutor Beccuau said nothing suggests that the robbers had any accomplices within the museum’s staff.
What To Know About The Arrested Suspects
One of the suspects is a 34-year-old Algerian national who has been living in France since 2010, Beccuau said. He was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to fly to Algeria with no return ticket. He was living in Paris’ northern suburb of Aubervilliers. Local police knew him mostly for road traffic offenses. Investigators found his DNA on one of the scooters the robbers used to leave the scene, per the prosector.
The other suspect, 39, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. “There is no evidence to suggest that he was about to leave the country,” Beccuau said. Police also knew him for previous thefts. DNA again played a role in the second suspect’s arrest. Investigators found his DNA on one of the glass cases smashed during the Louvre heist, and on items the thieves left behind.
Crown Jewels Are Still Missing
Prosecutor Beccuau confirmed investigators have not recovered the missing crown jewels. Also, she warned that anyone who purchases the jewels could face charges. Meanwhile, experts fear the stolen pieces may already be broken down and stones recut to erase their past.
“These jewels are now, of course, unsellable … Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods,” she warned. “There’s still time to give them back.”
Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure and his team said the first alert to police about the heist did not come from the Louvre’s alarms. Instead, a cyclist outside dialed the emergency line after seeing helmeted men with a basket lift.
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Associated Press reporters Thomas Adamson and Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
