Paris: Authorities announced four additional arrests on Tuesday in connection with the spectacular October jewellery heist at the Louvre Museum, where thieves made off with treasures valued at $102 million.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the suspects—two men and two women aged between 31 and 40—are all from the Paris region. Her statement did not detail their alleged roles in the 19 October robbery, but police can hold and question them for up to 96 hours.
French media reported that one of those detained, a 39-year-old already known to law enforcement, is believed to be the fourth member of the team that executed the daytime break-in. He is reportedly from Aubervilliers, a northern suburb with links to other suspects.
Three alleged gang members had been arrested earlier and now face preliminary charges of organised theft and criminal conspiracy. Investigators say their DNA was recovered either at the crime scene or on items linked to the operation. A woman arrested in October is accused of assisting the group.
None of the stolen jewels have been recovered. The missing pieces include a diamond-and-emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise; jewels associated with 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense; and a pearl-and-diamond tiara worn by Empress Eugénie.
The heist, which has renewed concerns over security at one of the world’s most visited museums, took the thieves less than eight minutes. Investigators say the group used a freight lift to reach a window, broke in, and headed straight for the Apollo Gallery. Surveillance footage shows two suspects cutting open display cases with disc cutters while two others waited outside on scooters.
One item—the emerald-set crown of Empress Eugénie, adorned with more than 1,300 diamonds—was later found abandoned outside the museum.
