Woman officially charged over Louvre jewellery heist
A woman has officially been charged over the theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris that took place on October 19th.
The woman remains unnamed, though it has been revealed that she is 38 years old. She has been charged with complicity in organised theft, as well as criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime. After she appeared before a magistrate, it was ruled that she should stay in custody.
The unnamed woman was arrested earlier this week along with four other co-conspirators. Two men were arrested, one while at the airport trying to make a getaway; they were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy earlier this week. Officials said they had “partially recognised” their involvement in the heist.
The eight-minute daylight robbery was carried out by four men. The fourth has not yet been caught.
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 a furniture lift. 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. They dropped the empress’s crown as they made their escape.
In her court appearance on October 31st, the BBC reports that the woman was in tears as she confirmed that she lived in Paris’s northern suburb of La Courneuve. She was one of five arrested, though one has since been released without charge.
Despite the arrests, the jewels have still not yet been found. Their worth totals around €88m. A culture ministry spokesperson has admitted that the stolen goods were not insured.
This robbery is not the first of its kind to happen in the French capital this year. On the same day, French thieves raided the House of Enlightenment, Denis Diderot, in Landres. Additionally, $1m worth of gold was stolen in a recent theft at the National History Museum in Paris.
