Police have conducted additional arrests in connection to the Louvre heist, where jewels valued at $102 million were stolen from the museum’s Apollo gallery, housing the French Crown Jewels, as per reports from French media on Thursday. According to French radio station RTL, five new suspects were apprehended simultaneously in various parts of the capital on Wednesday evening, based on information from judicial sources. Earlier on Thursday, French TV station BFM reported that a man believed to have been present during the daylight robbery had been taken into custody.
The Paris prosecutor’s office did not provide an immediate response to requests for comments. These recent arrests come after the arrest of two men over the weekend suspected of breaking into the museum through an upstairs window and stealing the valuable items. During interrogation, the pair reportedly admitted to some level of involvement in the heist, as mentioned by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau at a press briefing on Wednesday. The incident exposed security vulnerabilities at the renowned museum, causing widespread embarrassment.
Beccuau mentioned the possibility of a larger group being involved, potentially including an individual who orchestrated the theft. The stolen jewels are still unaccounted for.