Five more individuals have been arrested in connection with the infamous Louvre heist, where more than $100 million worth of historic French jewelry was stolen earlier this month.
The new arrests bring the total in custody to seven, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told French radio RTL News, though none of the loot has been recovered.
“One of them was one of the targets of the investigators since we had DNA traces concerning him which, from our point of view, links him to the theft that was committed,” Beccuau said. Two other arrests were made last Saturday, and she added that those suspects “partially confessed to the facts” and “had been involved in the burglary.”
She also confirmed that authorities are sure one of the five individuals arrested on Wednesday night was one of the four robbers who broke into the Apollo Gallery, where some of the country’s most prized Napoleonic-era jewels and other royal artifacts are displayed.
Meaning three of the four robbers are believed to be in custody.
The masked thieves, disguised as construction workers, used a basket lift to reach the gallery windows, then an angle grinder to break through, and reportedly a disc cutter to get the jewels in their casings — all in just seven minutes. The suspects then fled on motorcycles.
The two previously apprehended are men, both in their 30s, from Aubervilliers, a suburb north of Paris, according to The Associated Press. One was captured at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where he had a one-way ticket to Algeria. His DNA matched that of the DNA found on one of the getaway vehicles.
Investigators are still examining whether an insider at the Louvre might have been involved in the robbery.
Eight of the nine items that seemed to be targeted remain unaccounted for. The crown of Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III’s wife, was found damaged at the scene.
The following loot is still missing, per The Ministry of Culture:
- Tiara from the parure of Queen Marie Amélie and Queen Hortense.
- Necklace from the sapphire parure of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.
- Earring, from a pair from the sapphire parure of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense.
- Emerald necklace from the parure of Marie-Louise.
- Pair of emerald earrings from the parure of Marie-Louise.
- Brooch known as a reliquary brooch.
- Tiara of Empress Eugénie.
- Large bodice bow of Empress Eugenie (brooch).