In a significant breakthrough regarding the audacious Louvre Museum heist that captivated France, two men now in custody have “partially admitted” their involvement in the daring jewel theft. If convicted, they could each face up to 15 years in prison, according to the Paris prosecutor overseeing the high-profile case.
Since the early morning of Sunday, October 19th, approximately 100 investigators have been relentlessly pursuing leads to unravel this sensational crime. That day, two masked intruders breached the Louvre’s renowned Apollo Gallery, absconding with some of the nation’s most precious crown jewels, an act that sent shockwaves across the country.
Authorities are still actively searching for two additional individuals believed to have aided the thieves in their escape on powerful motor scooters. The whereabouts of the stolen jewels themselves also remain unknown.
During a brief press conference, Prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated, “The jewels are not yet in our possession as I speak to you. I want to hold onto the hope that they will be found and can be returned to the Louvre Museum and, more broadly, to the nation.”
The two arrested suspects are thought to be the masterminds behind the direct infiltration of the museum. They are believed to have used a truck-mounted electric ladder to reach a second-floor gallery. Once there, they employed disc grinders to force their way through a reinforced glass window, gaining entry, and then proceeded to cut into two display cases.
Their lightning-fast operation inside the room lasted less than four minutes. In that short window, they managed to steal eight invaluable pieces of heritage jewelry, including a diamond and emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to his second wife over two centuries ago.
Both men were apprehended last Saturday evening. One, a 34-year-old Algerian national residing in France since 2010 and working as a garbage collector and delivery person, was caught at Charles de Gaulle airport attempting to board a one-way flight to Algeria. He has a prior police record for theft and traffic offenses.
The second suspect, a 39-year-old French national, was arrested shortly after near his home in Aubervilliers, a Parisian suburb. Also a driver and deliverer, he possesses a criminal record for aggravated theft and is currently facing another unresolved theft charge.
Investigators successfully tracked both individuals through DNA samples recovered from items left at the crime scene, as well as from evidence later found by the police, such as one of the getaway motor scooters and fragments from the broken museum window. This vital forensic evidence played a crucial role in identifying and apprehending the suspects.
On Wednesday evening, both men were formally charged with organized gang theft and criminal association.
Diala Al-Shaman, the lawyer representing one of the unnamed suspects, declined to comment via text message.
The extensive police investigation has so far yielded a trove of evidence, including 189 pieces of physical evidence, 150 forensic samples processed, and interviews with approximately 20 witnesses.