Two men taken into custody have “partially recognized” their roles in the high-profile theft of priceless French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris two weeks ago, according to an update from Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. The pair are suspected of being among the four individuals caught on CCTV who broke into the museum on October 19. Using power tools, the thieves accessed the Apollon Gallery and managed to steal items valued at approximately €88 million ($102 million). Beccuau confirmed the jewels have not yet been recovered and stressed that the full criminal network involved may be larger than the four men captured on surveillance footage.
The arrested men, both in their thirties and with prior criminal records, were identified through DNA evidence collected during the ongoing investigation. One of the suspects was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Algeria, though officials clarified the other man had not been planning to leave France. Detailing the method of the robbery, the prosecutor explained that the suspects arrived just after the museum opened at 09:30, using a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to reach the Galerie d’Apollon via a balcony near the River Seine. They then used a disc cutter to break open the display cases, completing the theft in just four minutes before escaping on two waiting scooters. Investigators have determined that no museum staff were involved, confirming the heist was not an inside job.
Despite the partial confessions, the investigation continues, with authorities focused on recovering the stolen treasures, which included the Crown of Empress Eugénie—a piece that was dropped and damaged by the thieves as they fled. Following the raid, French officials moved quickly to bolster security at national cultural institutions. The Louvre has since transferred some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France, where they are now secured in a high-security vault 26 meters beneath the bank’s central Paris headquarters. Prosecutor Beccuau remains hopeful the stolen items can be located and returned “to the Louvre, and more broadly to the nation.”
Louvre Heist: Two Suspects Confess to Partial Involvement in Daring $102M Jewel Theft
