Two Arrested After €88m Jewel Heist Shocks The Louvre

Two Arrested After €88m Jewel Heist Shocks The Louvre

 

 

French police have arrested two suspects over the audacious €88 million crown jewel heist at Paris’s Louvre museum — a theft described as one of the most humiliating security failures in French history.

 

The men were detained on Saturday evening, one caught as he tried to board a flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. Authorities have not named the suspects but confirmed they are being held for up to 96 hours of interrogation by specialist investigators.

 

The heist, carried out in broad daylight last Sunday, saw a four-man gang use power tools and a vehicle-mounted lift to break into the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon, home to France’s most prized royal jewels. The thieves gained entry through a balcony window near the River Seine, threatened guards, and smashed open two display cases before speeding off on two waiting scooters — all within four minutes.

 

Early reports suggest a staggering lapse in security: one in three rooms in the raided wing reportedly had no CCTV coverage. France’s justice minister has admitted that “security protocols failed,” calling it a “terrible image” for the nation’s most visited museum.

 

Officials have blasted the “premature leaks” of details about the investigation, warning they may have hampered efforts to recover the jewels and track down the rest of the gang.

The Louvre — already reeling from public outrage — has since tightened security across France’s cultural institutions, as investigators race to recover the stolen treasure.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Two men arrested after €88m jewel heist at Paris’s Louvre museum.

• One suspect detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to flee.

• Thieves struck in daylight using power tools, escaping within four minutes.

 

Source: BBC / French media reports