Four more arrests made in connection to Louvre heist
French authorities have arrested four more people in connection with the jewel heist, which saw an estimated £77 million stolen from the Louvre.
As per The Guardian, the Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has revealed that they have newly arrested “two men aged 38 and 39, and two women aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region.”
Reportedly, the suspected thief had been detained on the morning of November 25th by anti-gang squad officers. He was being held at police headquarters before facing charges of organised theft and criminal conspiracy.
The suspect has a criminal record. He was allegedly linked to three members of the gang who had already been arrested and remained under formal investigation. They all had ties to the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, French newspaper Le Parisien said.
To pull off the swift robbery, which left the biggest museum in the world closed for two days, the thieves gained easy access to the first floor via furniture lifts.
Once inside the iconic building, they proceeded to raid the collection once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte’s family and the Empress Marie Louise. The stolen items included a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara. However, they dropped the empress’s crown as they made their escape.
Despite these new arrests, none of the jewels that were stolen have been recovered. A culture ministry spokesperson has admitted that the stolen goods were not insured.
DNA analysis of items left at the scene, including a hi-vis vest, disc cutters and gloves, led to the arrest a week after the robbery. Subsequently, Ayed G and Abdoulaye N were arrested.
Following this, a third man, Slimane K, suspected of driving one of two scooters that pulled up to the Louvre on the early morning, was detained several days after his confidants were in custody.
One of the newly arrested is thought to be the second scooter driver and the fourth member of the original gang.
