Louvre robbers caught as police mobilize 100 investigators
Two suspects have been arrested as more than 100 investigators from the Paris Judicial Police continue to probe the Louvre robbery that took place on October 19, Kazinform News Agency reports citing Franceinfo.
The investigation is being led by the Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB) with the support of several specialized units. Since the incident, over a hundred investigators have been working around the clock.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, two men were arrested on Saturday evening. One of them was detained at Roissy–Charles-de-Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a flight to Algiers. Both suspects were identified through DNA traces found at the museum, France Télévisions reported.
The investigation established that four people were involved in the robbery. Two of them used a lift platform to access the historic Galerie d’Apollon, while the other two provided technical assistance and organized the escape on scooters.
According to the museum’s curator, the loss is estimated at around €88 million. Eight French Crown Jewels were stolen, including Empress Eugénie’s diamond tiara, adorned with nearly 2,000 stones, and a sapphire necklace once belonging to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.
Following the incident, Louvre President–Director Laurence des Cars proposed opening a permanent police station inside the museum. The French Ministry of the Interior did not support the idea, noting that an existing police station is already located near the museum.
Earlier, it was reported that part of the Louvre’s jewelry collection had been transferred to the Bank of France vaults as a precautionary measure following the robbery.
