Louvre Museum arrests: Two arrested after chainsaw raiders stole France’s $157 million jewels
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the $157 million Louvre heist, just a week after chainsaw-wielding robbers made off with a treasure trove of jewels.
One of the men was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Saturday while trying to board a flight to Algeria, according to Le Parisien.
Both suspects are reportedly from Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
The pair are alleged to have been part of a four-man gang that raided the iconic Louvre Museum on October 18 and stole priceless jewellery.
The arrests come as suspicions grow that the robbery was an inside job after police uncovered digital forensic evidence showing a member of the museum’s security team was in contact with the thieves.
“We have found digital forensic evidence that shows the collaboration of one of the museum’s security guards with the thieves,” a source said. Telegram.
“Sensitive information regarding the security of the museum was transferred, so they were made aware of the breach,” the source added.
Armed with this insider knowledge, the thieves reportedly used a furniture elevator to reach the Louvre’s façade before breaking into the gilded Galerie d’Apollon, which houses the museum’s collection of precious jewels.
Thieves reached the second-floor balcony of the world-famous Paris museum using a crane-mounted ladder.
They allegedly cut out a window using an angle grinder and entered the Apollo Gallery, just a few rooms away from the iconic Mona Lisa painting.
In a heist that lasted just seven minutes, the gang stole nine glittering pieces from the Napoleon and Empress Joséphine collection; but one of them fell while escaping.
A now-viral video shows the suspects climbing down from the balcony with a truck-mounted basket lift moments later.
The daring raid forced the Louvre to move its remaining jewels into a high-security vault after the daylight intrusion revealed major weaknesses in the museum’s protection systems.
Many in France and around the world were stunned to see how four hooded attackers broke into the world’s most visited museum, smashed a second-floor window and escaped with a fine loot before being caught.
Surprisingly, the Louvre’s cameras failed to detect the thieves in time to prevent their daring daylight robbery.
French Ministers admitted that there were serious security breaches.
“We did not detect the thieves’ arrival early enough,” Louvre director Laurence des Cars told a Senate committee, blaming the lack of sufficient cameras monitoring the museum’s perimeter.
“Despite our efforts, despite our hard work every day, we were defeated,” he said.
He said that the external security cameras did not fully cover the facade of the museum, adding that the window through which the thieves entered was not monitored by CCTV.
Ms des Cars offered her resignation but this was rejected by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who has come under criticism over the mounting accusations following the robbery.
