French police have arrested two men linked to the audacious daylight theft of priceless crown jewels worth €88 million (RM455 million) from Paris’s iconic Louvre Museum. The suspects were detained on Saturday — one at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Algeria, and another believed to be heading to Mali.
Authorities say DNA evidence found at the crime scene led to the arrests. The heist, which occurred last Sunday, was executed by a gang of four who used power tools and a vehicle-mounted lift to access the Galerie d’Apollon, home to France’s most valuable crown jewels. The entire operation reportedly lasted just four minutes, during which the thieves threatened guards, smashed open two display cases, and escaped on two scooters waiting outside.
Among the stolen items were a diamond-encrusted gold tiara worn by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, along with the Marie-Louise necklace and several rare earrings. Police recovered some discarded items at the scene, including gloves, a high-vis jacket, and a damaged crown, suggesting the robbery was both hurried and chaotic.
French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti has since admitted that “security protocols failed,” calling the incident a “terrible image for France.” Investigations revealed that one in three rooms in the targeted area of the museum had no CCTV coverage, while the only exterior camera facing the building was angled away from the thieves’ entry point.
Following the heist, the Louvre has transferred its remaining jewels to the Bank of France, where they are now stored 26 meters underground in one of the country’s most secure vaults.
Art crime experts warn that the stolen gems may already have been dismantled or melted down, making recovery nearly impossible. “Gold can be melted, and jewels can be recut into smaller stones — they’ll vanish forever,” said renowned art detective Arthur Brand.
The Louvre heist is now being described as one of Europe’s most daring museum robberies in decades, with police still hunting down the remaining members of the gang.
