French police have made a significant breakthrough in the audacious Louvre jewel theft, announcing the arrest of five more individuals. Among them is believed to be one of the actual thieves present at the crime scene, according to the prosecutor leading the investigation on Thursday.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau revealed in a radio interview that DNA evidence directly links one of the newly arrested suspects to the crime. She further explained that the remaining four individuals are being held for questioning as they may possess crucial information regarding the incident’s timeline and execution.
These arrests occurred Wednesday evening following coordinated operations throughout the greater Paris region. Despite this progress, Ms. Beccuau confirmed that the stolen jewels have yet to be located or recovered.
The theft, which took place over a week prior, involved two perpetrators who brazenly breached the Louvre’s second-floor Apollo Gallery. They used disc grinders to cut through a window, making off with an estimated $100 million worth of France’s historic crown jewels before making a swift getaway on powerful motor scooters operated by two accomplices.
This latest wave of arrests follows the apprehension of two other suspects four days earlier, one of whom was detained at Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to board a flight to Algeria. Both men have been formally charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy. They are alleged to have used a truck-mounted electric ladder to reach the gallery’s balcony from the street outside, subsequently cutting into display cases before fleeing on scooters.
Ms. Beccuau noted that approximately 100 investigators have been employing diverse methods to trace the culprits. Remarkably, the thieves managed to evade capture, escaping less than a minute before police and security personnel reached the scene.
Detailing the investigative process, the prosecutor explained, “Everything naturally starts with DNA traces, fingerprints, and all tangible evidence found at the crime scene. From there, we integrate video surveillance footage, analyze phone records, and examine objects discovered during the searches. Brick by brick, the investigation progresses, slowly but surely closing in on all those implicated.”