PARIS (AP) — Five more people have been arrested. investigation Paris prosecutors said Thursday that a man suspected of stealing the Crown Jewels from the Louvre museum was investigated, but the treasure remains missing.
Prosecutor Laure Becuaux told RTL radio that the five people were arrested late Wednesday night in separate police operations in Paris and surrounding areas, including the Seine-Saint-Denis region. She did not reveal their identities or other details.
Prosecutors said one of the men was suspected of being part of a four-man team that stormed the Louvre’s Apollo Museum in broad daylight on October 19. Two other members of the team were arrested on Sunday and preliminary indicted on Wednesday on charges of criminal conspiracy and theft by an organized gang. both partially admitted to involvementaccording to prosecutors.
“Last night and all night of searching, we were unable to locate the item,” Bequo said.
It took thieves less than eight minutes to steal jewelery worth 88 million euros ($102 million), shocking the world. The robbers broke open the window, cut into the case with a power tool, and fled with the gun. 8 jewels in France’s crown.
One of those charged is a 34-year-old Algerian national who has lived in France since 2010, Bequo said. He was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport on his way to Algeria without a return ticket. He lived in Aubervilliers, a suburb north of Paris, and was known to police mainly for traffic violations. His DNA was found on one of the scooters used by the robbers to leave the scene, she said.
The other suspect, 39, was arrested at his home in Aubervilliers. She added that the man was known to police for multiple thefts, and his DNA was found on one of the glass cases where jewelry was displayed and on items left behind by the thieves.
Becko said surveillance camera footage showed at least four criminals were involved.
The four robbery suspects arrived in a truck equipped with a cargo lift, two of which they used to climb up to the museum’s windows. She detailed that the four left on two scooters towards eastern Paris along the Seine River, where several other vehicles were also parked.
Mr Bequo said there was nothing to suggest that any accomplices in the robbery were among the museum staff.
She appealed to those who own jewelry Wednesday night. “These jewels, of course, cannot be sold now… Anyone who buys them will be charged with concealing stolen property. There is still time to return them.”
French police have admitted there are major flaws in the Louvre’s defenses, turning the dazzling daylight theft into a national responsibility for how France protects its treasures.
