2 arrested over bold jewel theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris

International

TWO men have been arrested in connection with the daring jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, French authorities announced Sunday.

Both suspects are in their 30s and were already known to law enforcement. One was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to board a flight, the other in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, a report by BBC said.

The theft took place on Oct. 19 inside the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon, and astonishingly it was executed in under eight minutes. Four masked intruders used a boom-lift truck to reach an upper-level window, smashed the glass, cut into display cases and made off with eight historic pieces from the French Crown Jewels collection.

Investigators say they found key evidence at the scene: gloves, a helmet, power-tools, a walkie-talkie and other items which allowed forensic teams to collect more than 150 DNA and fingerprint samples. The items left behind helped track the two suspects now in custody.

The value of the stolen jewels is estimated at approximately €88 million (about US $102 million), though authorities stress that the greater loss is cultural and historical: the jewels are part of France’s heritage. One of the items — the crown of Empress Eugénie — was dropped during the escape and later recovered, but damaged. The fate of the remaining items remains unclear.

The arrests mark the first major break in a large-scale investigation involving more than 100 officers, yet officials caution that other members of the criminal gang remain at large and the stolen jewels have not all been accounted for. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau criticised leaks in the case, noting that premature disclosures could hamper efforts.

The audacity of the heist has deepened criticism of museum security. The Louvre, once a royal palace turned the world’s most-visited museum, suffered a major breach of public confidence. France’s interior minister called for an immediate review of protections at cultural sites nationwide.

For now, authorities remain hopeful. While two suspects are in handcuffs, the task of recovering the precious jewels and bringing the full gang to justice is far from over. The world watches as France hunts for what has been called one of the most spectacular museum robberies in decades.(Victoria Diana, USJ-R Comm Intern)