Two men in their 30s were arrested on Saturday night for allegedly stealing eight royal jewels worth $102 million from the Louvre.
One suspect was caught at Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to board a flight to Algeria; police are still searching for the stolen items.
The October 19 heist, carried out by four masked thieves using a crane to smash into the museum, has sparked outrage and scrutiny over security lapses.
Two Arrested Over $102 Million Louvre Jewellery Heist, One Nabbed at Airport
French police arrested suspects from Seine-Saint-Denis in connection with last week’s audacious Louvre robbery as one tried to flee to Algeria.
Summary
Suspects have been arrested over the brazen jewellery heist at the Louvre, just as one of them was about to fly out of France, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday.
According to the Le Parisien newspaper, which broke the story first, two men in their 30s who were originally from the Seine-Saint-Denis region of the capital, which encompasses some of the most impoverished areas in the nation, were arrested on Saturday night.
According to the newspaper, one of the suspects was preparing to board a plane from Charles de Gaulle airport to Algeria, and French police were aware of them.
On Sunday, there was no sign that any of the crown jewels that had been taken from France had been found.
The number of arrests and any information about them were not disclosed by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. She expressed regret in a statement that details of their arrest had been leaked.
"This revelation can only hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so mobilised investigators, both in the search for the stolen jewellery and for all the perpetrators. It is too early to provide any specific details," Beccuau said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, under public pressure to deliver results a week to the day after the robbery, congratulated investigators in a tweet, but gave no more detail.
Four hooded thieves made off with eight precious pieces worth an estimated $102 million from the Louvre's collection on October 19, exposing security lapses at the world's most-visited museum.
They broke in using a crane to smash an upstairs window during opening hours and escaped on motorbikes.
News of the robbery reverberated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some regarded as a national humiliation.
The stolen treasures included a tiara and an earring from the jewellery of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense from the early 19th century.
The crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, was found damaged outside the museum. The thieves apparently dropped the piece, made of gold, emeralds and diamonds, as they made their getaway.
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Built in the late 12th century, the Louvre Palace used to be the official residence of the kings of France, until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles. It was turned into a museum for the royal art collection in 1793, four years after the French Revolution.
Its huge collection of masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue, brought in 8.7 million visitors, opens new tab last year.
With inputs from Reuters.
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