Five More Arrested in €88 Million Louvre Heist as Hunt for Stolen Crown Jewels Intensifies

Five more suspects have been detained in connection with the Louvre Museum heist, according to Paris’ public prosecutor.

The arrests were made on Wednesday night in the Paris region, prosecutor Laure Beccuau’s office confirmed. Among those taken into custody was a key suspect, AFP reported. These latest arrests follow two men who earlier admitted partial involvement in the daring €88 million (£76m; $102m) jewel theft that took place on 19 October.

Beccuau told French radio RTL that the stolen jewels have not yet been recovered. She noted that DNA evidence from one of the new detainees could link them to the crime scene, and investigators believe the suspect was one of the four men captured on CCTV carrying out the daylight robbery.

Authorities suspect the heist may have involved a wider network beyond the four who physically stole the jewels. The new suspects can be held for up to four days before formal charges or release.

The first two men arrested, both in their thirties with prior criminal records, are believed to be the pair who used power tools to break into the museum’s Apollon Gallery and seize part of France’s crown jewel collection. One was apprehended while attempting to board a one-way flight to Algeria, while the other had no plans to leave France.

Officials say there is no indication that museum staff were involved in the theft.

According to Beccuau, the robbers arrived at around 09:30 local time—shortly after the Louvre opened—and used a stolen vehicle equipped with a mechanical lift to access the Galerie d’Apollon from a balcony overlooking the River Seine. The thieves used a disc cutter to smash display cases, taking just four minutes to complete the robbery before escaping on scooters and later switching to cars.

No one was harmed during the operation.

Following the incident, France has tightened security at its major cultural sites. The Louvre has also moved some of its most valuable jewels to the Bank of France, where they will be safeguarded in a vault located 26 meters below ground at the bank’s Paris headquarters.

This is a developing story; updates will follow as more information becomes available.