Robbery at Louvre: Two Arrested

On Saturday night, French police took two men into custody linked to the daring robbery at the Louvre Museum on October 18, where a crown valued at $100 million was taken.

Around 10 p.m., law enforcement captured one suspect at Roissy airport just as he was about to board a flight to Algeria. Shortly after, another man was arrested in Seine-Saint-Denis. The arrests followed intelligence that one suspect was planning to leave the country, prompting an urgent response from Paris’ anti-organized crime brigade and the cultural crime agency.

Both suspects, who are in their 30s and hail from Seine-Saint-Denis, face charges of organized gang robbery and criminal conspiracy. Authorities describe them as seasoned criminals with prior robbery convictions, indicating they may have been acting on behalf of someone else.

In the heist on October 18, four men utilized a stolen cherry picker to gain entry into the Apollo Gallery through a window. Dressed in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets, they employed electric saws to break into display cases and make off with eight pieces of royal jewelry once owned by the Queen and Empress of France.

Interestingly, the thieves dropped Empress Eugenie’s crown during their escape and also neglected to burn the cherry picker and truck they left on a nearby road.

Investigators have gathered over 150 forensic samples from the scene, including hair from a discarded motorcycle helmet, which is believed to belong to the first thief who entered the museum.

The suspects are presently held at police headquarters on Bastion Street, where they can be detained for up to 96 hours. Meanwhile, more than 100 investigators are diligently searching for the remaining culprits and the stolen jewels. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has assured the public that “the culprits will be found.”