French authorities have arrested suspects linked to the daring jewel heist at the Louvre, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed on Sunday, saying one suspect was detained as he prepared to board a flight out of France.
According to Le Parisien, two men in their 30s from Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris, were taken into custody Saturday evening. Both were already known to police.
One of them was reportedly intercepted at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to fly to Algeria.
Beccuau condemned the leak of details about the arrests, warning that such disclosures could hinder the work of more than 100 investigators still searching for the missing jewels and other suspects. “It is too early to provide any specific details,” she said.
The arrests come a week after four hooded thieves used a crane to smash an upstairs window at the Louvre during opening hours, making off with eight pieces of royal jewellery worth an estimated $102 million.
The loot included a tiara and earrings once owned by Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and part of the crown of Empress Eugénie, which was found damaged outside the museum.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez congratulated investigators for the breakthrough but provided no further comment. The high-profile theft, which exposed security lapses at the world’s most visited museum, has sparked outrage and embarrassment across France.
The Louvre, a former royal palace dating back to the 12th century, houses masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, and drew 8.7 million visitors last year.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
