Five more arrests for brazen Louvre crown jewels heist, but gems still missing, prosecutor says

Paris — Five more people have been arrested in the investigation into the Theft of the crown jewels from the Louvre Museum.but the treasures They remain missing, the Paris prosecutor announced on Thursday.

The five were arrested on Wednesday night in Paris and the Paris region, prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL radio.

One is suspected of being part of the four-person team that robbed the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery in broad daylight on Oct. 19, the prosecutor said.

He said the suspect linked to the DNA was “one of the investigators’ targets; we had him in our sights.” Other detainees, he said, “could tell us how events unfolded,” but he did not reveal their identities or other details.

Two previous suspectsmen aged 34 and 39 from Aubervilliers, north of Paris, were uploaded on wednesday with robbery and criminal association after almost 96 hours of detention. Beccuau said both made “minimalist” statements and “partially admitted” their involvement.

For now, Beccuau said, there is no evidence of inside help among Louvre staff, although investigators do not rule out a broader network beyond the four seen in security footage.

The latest arrests have not yet helped uncover the stolen jewelry, Beccuau said.

It took the thieves less than eight minutes to steal the jewels valued at 88 million euros, or $102 million, shocking the world. The thieves forced a window, cut open boxes with power tools and fled with eight pieces of the French crown jewels, including a diamond and emerald necklace that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to Empress Marie Louise as a wedding gift.

But Parisian master jeweler and gem appraiser Stephen Portier told News themezone that thieves will have a hard time selling the gems.

“Everyone knows about this theft. The dealers will have photographs of each piece in their offices,” he said. “So if they think they’re being offered diamonds from the Louvre… they’ll ask some tough questions. And they’ll contact the police.”

Portier said thieves might have to recut stolen gems, which would significantly decrease their value.