Four Suspects Arrested in Louvre Crown Jewels Heist, Investigation Ongoing
Four individuals have been arrested and charged in the theft of French crown jewels from the Louvre last month, as DNA and other evidence tie them to the crime scene, though the jewels have yet to be recovered.
- • Four suspects have been charged and incarcerated for the Louvre crown jewels heist.
- • Suspects include a 34-year-old Algerian national caught attempting to flee to Algeria.
- • DNA evidence links multiple suspects directly to the museum's crime scenes.
- • The stolen jewels, of great historical and cultural importance, remain missing.
Key details
French authorities have arrested four suspects in connection with the high-profile heist of crown jewels from the Louvre Museum's Galerie d’Apollon, which took place last month. According to reports, the suspects include a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France, arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to flee to Algeria. He is believed to have used a disc cutter to break into display cases. A 39-year-old man was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers; his DNA was found on the glass cases. A 37-year-old man is also implicated, with DNA evidence placing him in the museum's basket lift, though he denies involvement. His partner, a 38-year-old woman, faces charges of complicity due to her DNA being found in the lift as well.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccau noted two suspects have prior convictions for theft. All suspects are based in northern Paris suburbs, and French law forbids the release of their identities to protect the ongoing investigation. The theft involved eight pieces of French crown jewels of immense historical value, including items once worn by Queen Hortense, Empress Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie. The jewels had only recently been returned to public display and embody centuries of French cultural heritage. While several suspects have been charged and incarcerated, the stolen jewels remain missing, maintaining a significant void in the nation's treasured artifacts.
This development deepens the investigative progress following the audacious daytime robbery, which shocked the art and cultural community worldwide.