French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests on Sunday morning, adding that one of the suspects had been preparing to flee France from Roissy airport. Le Parisien earlier reported two men were arrested and said the other person was located northeast of Paris.
A manhunt was launched after four people broke into the Louvre in broad daylight last Sunday and stole eight pieces of jewelry, including royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings. The brazen heist took just seven minutes, sparking recriminations and renewed scrutiny into the world-renowned museum’s security arrangements.
Read More: A 7-Minute Louvre Heist Leaves Behind DNA and Dropped Crown
The two men, already known for burglaries, appear to be experienced criminals in their thirties, from the Seine-Saint-Denis department and may have been acting on orders, Le Parisien reported. The newspaper said that one of the two men was planning to leave the country to Algeria, triggering the arrests.
Le Monde reported the the suspect is French-Algerian, and that the police had been tracking the two men for some time to try and locate the other suspects and the jewels. It’s unclear whether any of the stolen objects have been recovered.
“From experience, I’m worried about the jewels,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in an interview with La Tribune on Sunday, published before the arrests. “Thieves always end up being found. It seems to be a case of organized crime, we’ll see. But unfortunately, the loot is often hidden abroad. I hope that’s not the case, I remain confident,” he added.
At around 9:30 a.m. last Sunday, two perpetrators parked a furniture lift outside the Louvre and set it in motion. The pair, aided by two accomplices, climbed to a first-floor window and broke into the Apollon Gallery, threatened guards and cut their way into two display cases.
Objects valued at an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) were stolen, including a tiara, a sapphire necklace and matching earrings from the collection of Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings belonging to Marie-Louise; a reliquary brooch; and a tiara and large corsage bow of Empress Eugénie. While they fled, the robbers dropped a crown with more than 1,000 diamonds.
More than 150 DNA and fingerprint samples have been collected by the investigators, the Paris public prosecutor said on Thursday, giving hope to shamefaced officials and police that the massive security lapse wouldn’t lead to a permanent loss. The suspects were identified thanks to the DNA traces, Franceinfo radio reported on Sunday.