BBC Photo: A tiara worn by Empress, Eugénie the wife of Napoleon III was taken
Source: BBC
DST News: Two men have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels worth €88 million ($102 million) from the Louvre Museum in Paris, French authorities have confirmed.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said one suspect was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was about to board a flight to Algeria, while the second man, believed to be heading to Mali, was also taken into custody on Saturday evening.
The arrests follow a dramatic daylight robbery last Sunday, when a gang of four thieves armed with power tools broke into the world-renowned museum’s Galerie d’Apollon, making off with priceless royal jewels once belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
According to French media, DNA evidence collected from gloves and a high-visibility jacket abandoned at the scene led investigators to one of the suspects. The robbers reportedly dropped one of the crowns during the heist.
Officials say the thieves entered the Louvre around 09:30 local time (08:30 GMT), using a vehicle-mounted lift to reach a first-floor balcony overlooking the River Seine. Two men then cut through a window, threatened security guards, and shattered glass display cases containing jewels before escaping on two scooters waiting outside just four minutes later.
A preliminary inquiry revealed serious security lapses at the museum: one in three rooms in the targeted area had no CCTV coverage, and the only exterior camera facing the Gallery of Apollo was misaligned. Louvre Director Laurence des Cars admitted to senators this week that the museum’s surveillance systems were “ageing and inadequate.”
France’s justice minister has acknowledged that security protocols failed, calling the theft a “terrible image” for the nation.
The eight stolen items included a gold-and-diamond tiara, a silver necklace with emeralds, and a pair of earrings from the 19th century. Experts warn the jewels may have already been dismantled or melted down, making recovery nearly impossible.
“Gold and silver can be melted, and gemstones cut into smaller pieces that are impossible to trace,” art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC.
In response, the Louvre has tightened its security and moved several of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France’s underground vaults, located 26 meters beneath its Paris headquarters, for safekeeping.
